Italy names Giampiero Ventura next national team boss
With current boss Antonio Conte set to take the top spot at Chelsea after Euro 2016, Italy named Giampiero Ventura its new coach on Tuesday, with the former Torino boss slated to assume the position on July 10.
Ahead of Italy's Euro opener against Belgium on June 13, the Italian Football Federation has announced the appointment of the 68-year-old Genoa-born gaffer.
One of Italian football's most tenured managers, Ventura has bossed Cagliari, Lecce, Sampdoria, and Verona among others.
His last gig was at Torino, where he led Il Toro to a 12th-place finish in Serie A. Ventura's five-year spell at Torino guided the Piedmont side's return to the top-flight at the end of the 2011-12 season.
Ventura was also instrumental in the development of young talent while at Torino, helping with the emergence of several top-flight standouts, including the likes of Italian internationals Matteo Darmian and Angelo Ogbonna, and Polish defender Kamil Glik.
The position will be Ventura's 21st as a manager after the gig at Torino was ended on May 25 by mutual consent.
The former Sampdoria player becomes Italy's fifth manager since Marcelo Lippi led the Azzurri to World Cup glory in 2006.
Italy's 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign starts on Sept. 5, when the Azzurri visits Israel.