Overview
- Sassuolo confirmed on Friday that 41‑year‑old Alberto Aquilani will be the club’s head coach for 2026–27 and Sky Sport Italia reported he signed a two‑year contract.
- Aquilani returns to the club where he played on loan in 2016–17 and brings a high‑profile playing background that includes Roma, Fiorentina and Liverpool.
- He moves up from the second tier after managing Pisa and guiding Catanzaro to a fifth‑place finish and the Serie B play‑off final, which Catanzaro lost to Monza.
- The coaching change follows Fabio Grosso’s exit to Fiorentina and comes as Sassuolo look to build on an 11th‑place Serie A finish in 2025–26.
- Expectations include faster preseason work, possible tactical shifts driven by Aquilani’s youth‑development experience, and scrutiny of wider club turnover after reports that long‑time CEO Giovanni Carnevali has left for Juventus.