Sarri appointed new Atalanta head coach, replacing Palladino after Lazio exit
Maurizio Sarri has been named the new head coach of Atalanta, signing a contract that will run for at least two years, with the former Lazio and Juventus manager returning to the club where he briefly lived as a child.
The appointment
Maurizio Sarri was officially presented as Atalanta’s new head coach on Monday, putting pen to paper on a deal that multiple sources describe as a three-year contract, though one report specifies a two-year term with an option for a third. The agreement is worth 3 million euros per season plus bonuses, according to ANSA. Sarri arrives after leaving Lazio in May by mutual consent, bringing an end to his second spell in the capital. He replaces Raffaele Palladino, who was dismissed last week together with seven members of his coaching staff.
The Percassi family, the Pagliuca family and the entire club extend a warm welcome to Mr. Sarri into the Nerazzurri family.
Managerial upheaval
Sarri becomes the third permanent Atalanta head coach in the space of a year. The club enjoyed nine seasons of stability under Gian Piero Gasperini, winning the 2024 Europa League and reaching the Champions League for the first time. Gasperini’s replacement, Ivan Juric, lasted only a few months, and Palladino, appointed in November, oversaw a seventh-place finish and qualification for the Conference League. That placing was Atalanta’s lowest since the 2021-22 campaign. Lazio, meanwhile, ended the 2025-26 season ninth, five points behind their Bergamo rivals.
Sarri’s career path
The 67-year-old has coached five Serie A clubs: Empoli, Napoli, Juventus, Lazio and now Atalanta, plus a season at Chelsea. Starting in the Italian lower divisions, he earned promotion to the top flight with Empoli in 2014. At Napoli, alongside sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli, he set a club points record of 91 in 2017-18 and reached the Champions League in each of his three seasons. A 2018-19 Europa League win with Chelsea was followed by the 2019-20 Serie A title at Juventus, his first league championship. After spells at Lazio that included a second-place finish and a Coppa Italia final, he left by mutual agreement in May 2026.
Maurizio Sarri has returned home. His return is a choice of heart, conviction and vision.
Tactical reset and next steps
The arrival of Sarri signals a stylistic shift for Atalanta. His possession-based, movement-heavy approach, known as ‘Sarrismo’, is a departure from the vertical style that defined the Gasperini era. The squad will gather at the Zingonia training centre in mid-July, and Sarri’s first competitive match will be the Conference League play-off first leg on 20 August. A reunion with Giuntoli, with whom he worked at Napoli, may smooth the transition.
What the club said
Atalanta’s statement noted Sarri’s “luminous career” encompassing more than 800 professional matches and a trophy cabinet containing a Europa League and a Scudetto. Born in Naples but raised in Tuscany, Sarri spent part of his early childhood in the Bergamo area, giving the appointment a personal dimension for both parties.
