Reports are growing that Maurizio Sarri’s time at Juventus is up, with a crisis meeting called, Mauricio Pochettino, Zinedine Zidane and Simone Inzaghi contacted.
Multiple sources now suggest the decision has been made and the coach informed, with a statement expected imminently.
Last night’s Champions League exit at the Round of 16 stage to Olympique Lyonnais proved the final straw for a campaign that has been consistently below expectations.
Although Sarri did steer them to a ninth consecutive Scudetto, that too was a struggle and ultimately the gap from Inter was just one point, with none of the sparkling attacking football he was brought in to provide.
Losing the Italian Supercup and Coppa Italia Finals were already a damning indictment, but a Champions League exit to a side that finished seventh in Ligue 1 is considered unacceptable.
According to multiple reports, there is to be a crisis meeting this afternoon at the Continassa training ground, as President Andrea Agnelli said he would ‘evaluate’ every situation.
It’s widely believed Sarri will be sacked over the next two to three days, as negotiations have already begun to find his replacement.
Official | Maurizio Sarri relieved of his duties.https://t.co/39vYyBXaqo pic.twitter.com/k2dxnmkokT
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) August 8, 2020
Sportitalia claim Pochettino was contacted last night to check for his availability, and of the alternatives, he is the only one not currently under contract.
Sky Sport Italia suggest Simone Inzaghi was called, but Lazio have just qualified for the Champions League and it seems unlikely he’ll quit at this stage.
Zidane has only recently returned to Real Madrid after a split and won the Liga title, so he too is an improbable candidate.
Agnelli will also pull the plug on several careers at Juventus, with Sami Khedira, Blaise Matuidi and Daniele Rugani among those heading for the exit.
