After Pep's refusal: In Italy, they are confident they have found the next coach
After Guardiola rejected the approach, the Italian federation is expected to appoint Andrea Pirlo as the national team coach. The former world champion is already in advanced talks and will sign until the 2030 World Cup.
After Pep Guardiola rejected the offer to stand on the sidelines for the Italian national team today (Friday), the local federation is moving quickly toward its next candidate. According to reports in Italy, Andrea Pirlo is expected to be appointed as the coach of the Azzurri with a contract until the 2030 World Cup.
In the Italian media, it is claimed that the federation's leaders, Paolo Maldini and Leonardo, identified Pirlo from the very beginning as the ideal candidate for the new project. The two recently declared that they are looking for a coach who "thinks like us," shares their football philosophy, and believes in the path they want to lead Italian football in the coming years.
Although Pirlo's coaching career is far from impressive, the new system believes that the exceptional vision of the game he displayed as a player could make him the right figure to lead the change. According to the report, Maldini sees him as the right man for the task and is willing to bet on him, even if doubts were raised in the past regarding his ability to manage a complex locker room.
Negotiations between the parties are already underway, and Pirlo himself is enthusiastic about the possibility of accepting the role. Now, after the option of adding Guardiola was taken off the table, the Italian federation hopes to finalize all the details of the agreement within a few days, with the official announcement potentially coming as early as after the federation council meeting on Tuesday.
According to the report, Pirlo is expected to earn about 1.5 million euros per season, a significantly lower amount than what was offered to the Spanish coach. At the same time, the federation is planning a long-term process for the rehabilitation of Italian football, one that is supposed to last eight to ten years and begin as early as the youth levels.
If there is no last-minute change, the 2006 World Cup champion will soon become the coach of the Italian national team and open the most significant coaching chapter of his career.
