Sarri confirmed as Inzaghi's replacement at Lazio
The former Napoli and Juventus coach is back in Serie A, having signed a two-year contract to take over from Simone Inzaghi at the Stadio Olimpico.
The managerial Merry-go-round in Serie A is in full swing with Lazio confirming that Maurizio Sarri will return to the Italian top flight as their manager to replace the outgoing Simone Inzaghi, who departed for Inter to take over from last season’s title-winning coach as San Siro, Antonio Conte.
Lazio confirmed the arrival of Sarri at the Stadio Olimpico by posting an emoji of a cigarette on Twitter, in reference to the former Juventus and Napoli manager’s habit of smoking in the dugout. Sarri has signed a two-year deal at Lazio worth a reported €3.5 million per season as he replaces Inzaghi, who spent five years at the Rome-based side.
Sarri is expected to confirm Pepe Reina as his number two at the Stadio Olimpico after the pair were a key element of Napoli’s success during the manager’s tenure there from 2015-18.
Sarri to change Lazio's shape in search of success
First on the agenda is a tactical switch from Inzaghi’s 3-5-2, with Sarri pondering a 4-2-3-1 focusing on the work rate of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Luis Alberto, while Ciro Immobile is likely to benefit from Sarri’s attacking style that saw Gonzalo Higuaín score 36 Serie A goals for Napoli in 2015-16, equalling the record set by Gino Rossetti in 1928-29.
Lazio will be the 21st team Sarri has managed in his lengthy career. His biggest successes to date have come at Napoli, where he took Juventus to the wire in the Scudetto race before moving to Turin and delivering the Serie A title in 2019-20, and Chelsea, where he won a Europa League.