Claudio Ranieri makes managerial return at Cagliari

Claudio Ranieri has returned to life in the dugout with Cagliari, who have appointed him head coach on a contract until June 2025. The Serie B club announced the news on Friday, some 31 years after he left the club to take over at Napoli.

The charismatic 71-year-old is best known in England for guiding Leicester to a fairytale Premier League title in 2016, but he failed to work his magic at his last club, Watford, as they earned only seven points in three months before he left the job in January.

In a statement, Cagliari said he returns “to write a new chapter in history … welcome back, Mister, how nice to hug you again!”

“Cagliari Calcio is pleased to announce that it has reached an agreement with Claudio Ranieri who will take over the technical leadership of the first team from 1 January 2023: the coach has signed a contract that binds him to the Rossoblù [Reds and Blues] club until 30 June 2025.”

Ranieri, whose past clubs in Italy also include Juventus, Roma, Internazionale, Fiorentina, Parma and Sampdoria, takes over a Cagliari side who are in 14th place of 20 in the second tier after being relegated last season. His achievements in his first spell at the club from 1988 to 1991 included a run of promotions from Serie C1, all the way up to Serie A.

The much-travelled manager, whose first role was at Vigor Lamezia in 1986, has also managed Chelsea, Fulham, Nantes, Monaco, Valencia, Atlético Madrid and the Greece national team.