Who could succeed Gennaro Gattuso as Italy manager? | OneFootball

Gennaro Gattuso will not remain Italy manager after failing to reach the 2026 World Cup, after a 1-1 draw and 1-4 shootout in Bosnia. Federation president Gabriele Gravina has resigned, with elections on 22 June in Rome.

With few elite coaches free, an interim for the June friendlies is possible while options are assessed, and La Gazzetta dello Sport has cited Pep Guardiola among the foreign suggestions.

Antonio Conte, 56, led Italy from 2014 to 2016 and reached the Euro 2016 quarter-finals. In year two of three at Napoli, he appears tired of daily club demands, having twice taken breaks in Turin during international windows.

Roberto Mancini, 61, won Euro 2021 then lost a 2022 play-off to North Macedonia. His 2023 exit for a Saudi deal worth €21m annually for four years strained ties with Gravina, though a new president could ease a comeback. He is at Al-Sadd in Qatar.

Max Allegri, 58, could be courted once the dust settles. The six-time scudetto winner suits a long-term rebuild, not dogmatic and focused on individual technique.

Simone Inzaghi, 49, may be harder to lure, having taken Inter to Champions League finals in 2023 and 2025 and now earning €26m per year at Al-Hilal.

Fifty years after Franco-Argentine Helenio Herrera, a foreign coach is no longer fanciful. Senate president Ignazio La Russa has floated José Mourinho, now at Benfica, while Didier Deschamps would be free after the 2026 World Cup.

Source: L'Équipe