Real Sociedad confirm appointment of ex-Stuttgart and Hoffenheim manager | OneFootball

Less than a week on from sacking Sergio Francisco, Real Sociedad have finalised the appointment of his replacement as head coach.

Last weekend, La Real took the decision to end Francisco’s tenure at the club, which had only begun in the summer. He had struggled to make the desired impact in Donostia-San Sebastian, which led to him being given his marching orders less than 48 hours after the home defeat to Girona.

Early on, La Real established Pellegrini Matarazzo as their favoured candidate to replace Francisco, and on Saturday, he was officially announced as the club’s new head coach in an official statement.

“Real Sociedad have reached an agreement with coach Pellegrino Matarazzo to be the new coach of their first team until the end of the 2026-27 season. Tomorrow he will witness the Sanse match and on Monday, from 16:00, he will be officially presented at the Anoeta Stadium.”

Image via Noticias de Gipuzkoa

Who is Pellegrino Matarazzo?

A former player from the United States of Italian and American descent, the 48-year-old spent his entire playing career in Germany. He worked under Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann at Hoffenheim, who he would go on to manage himself from February 2023 to November 2024. He also had a successful spell in charge of Stuttgart from 2019 to 2022, which saw them go from the 2. Bundesliga to a steady top flight team.

Matarazzo’s first match in charge of La Real will be after the winter break when they host Atletico Madrid at Anoeta. He will have time to get his ideas across to his new players, with all parties determined to turn their fortunes around during the second half of the season.

It remains to be seen how Matarazzo gets on at La Real, but on paper, he appears to be a sensible appointment – but only time will tell whether it is the right one.