Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
New project
Spanish Pep Guardiola has again become a candidate to coach the Italian national team, after… Paolo Maldini and Leonardo have been appointed to lead the new project of the Italian Football Federation.
And I mentioned La Gazzetta dello Sport newspaperThe Italian Football Federation has appointed Paolo Maldini as technical director on a four-year contract until the end of the 2030 World Cup, with his former partner at AC Milan and former AC Milan and PSG director Leonardo joining him as a consultant in the new project.
Maldini’s four-year plan comes with unprecedented powers in his new role, as he is expected to make sweeping changes to the Italian national team’s working mechanics and age-group system.
Appointing a new technical director is Maldini’s top priority at the current stage.
In recent weeks, the race for the job has been narrowed down to Roberto Mancini and Antonio Conte, with Conte enjoying the backing of Italian league clubs while Mancini has a strong and long-standing relationship with Italian federation president Giovanni Malago.
The two managers have extensive coaching experience and have each previously managed Italy, but both face some reservations as there are doubts over Conte’s suitability from a tactical point of view, while Mancini’s decision to leave Italy in 2023 to coach Saudi Arabia remains a point of contention.
Gazzetta dello Sport have confirmed that Conte and Mancini are not topping Maldini and Leonardo’s list, noting that Guardiola is back in the running for nominations and is no longer a “fantastic” option as previously thought after he previously coached Manchester City and Barcelona.
Wages remain the biggest obstacle to signing Guardiola, with the newspaper explaining that his total annual salary in his final season with Manchester City (2025-2026) was around €25 million.
The Italian league clubs are expected to help fund the new manager’s wages in an attempt to bring in a top-level manager, but that investment will not be enough to match the wage bill that Guardiola received at Manchester City.
Gazzetta dello Sport noted that there is still hope, but the decision will largely depend on discussions between Maldini and Leonardo, with Guardiola’s desire to coach the national team at some point in his career giving the Italian team an added boost.
The newspaper concluded its report by stating that Carlo Ancelotti and Andrea Pirlo could be among the alternatives if the Italian federation decides to abandon the contracts of Conte, Mancini or Guardiola.
