Reigning CAF Men’s Player of the Year, Ademola Lookman, and his teammates at Atalanta have found their new head coach after the Serie A club announced Ivan Juric as replacement for Gian Piero Gasperini, who left the role at the end of last season.
Juric has signed a two-year deal to manage the 2024 Europa League winners until the summer of 2027, with his first competitive match set to come on August 24 when the Nerazzurri welcome newly promoted Pisa for a Serie A match at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo.
The 49-year-old previously managed Southampton when they were in the Premier League, and AS Roma until last season when he was replaced by Claudio Ranieri. Coincidentally, Gasperini has signed a three-year deal on Friday to take over the Roma job from Ranieri.
Before his managerial career, Juric played under Gasperini at Crotone and Genoa before joining the veteran tactician’s coaching staff in a brief spell at Inter Milan in 2011 and becoming Gasperini’s assistant coach the following year at Palermo.
Juric would become head coach of Genoa in 2016 to replace Gasperini, who was signed by Atalanta at the time, before enjoying spells at Hellas Verona and Torino in Serie A, as well as Southampton in England after the Roma job.
He lasted only two months at the Stadio Olimpico before being sacked by Roma in November, paving the way for him to become head coach of the Saints and work with Super Eagles duo, Joe Aribo and Paul Onuachu.
But Juric was unable to change Southampton’s fortunes in the Premier League, getting just two wins in 16 games in all competitions before he was relieved from his role at St. Mary’s outfit in April after the club’s relegation from the Premier League was confirmed.
The Atalanta job will serve as a chance for Juric to repair his damaged reputation following a below-par 2024-25 managerial campaign, with Atalanta set to compete again in the Champions League next season after finishing third in Serie A last season.