Lazio confirm Igor Tudor's appointment as new head coach after Maurizio Sarri exit (1 Viewer)

[Beejay59]

Serie A club, Lazio has officially announced Igor Tudor as their new head coach. Tudor, formerly in charge at Marseille, steps into the role following Maurizio Sarri's resignation amidst a string of poor results.

Sarri decided to step down after Lazio suffered four consecutive losses, including defeats to Udinese, Fiorentina, AC Milan, and elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Bayern Munich.

Giovanni Martusciello, Sarri's former assistant, temporarily took charge for the recent Serie A fixture against Frosinone, which Lazio won 3-2, ending their losing streak. However, Martusciello's interim tenure has concluded with Tudor's appointment.

The new coach has been signed on a contract running until 2025, as confirmed by Lazio through a brief statement on their official website.

"SS Lazio announces that Igor Tudor, starting today, will assume the role of manager of the first team."

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It's reported that Tudor's contract also offers the possibility of extending for an extra year. Additionally, club president Claudio Lotito revealed that the 45-year-old declined managerial offers from Napoli and Roma before committing to Lazio.

Lotito shared in an interview with Il Messaggero, as quoted by TuttoMercatoWeb:

"So long chosen that Sarri suddenly resigned and we tried to convince him to stay.

"The truth is that it bothers some that we managed to resolve the problem in 24 hours on the first and only appointment. I have I picked up the phone, met the agents and received the appreciation of Tudor, who had rejected Naples and Rome."

After nearly a year away from management, Tudor makes his return to coaching. He parted ways with Marseille at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season. Before that, he had stints at Hellas Verona and served as assistant to Andrea Pirlo at Juventus.

Tudor, who earned 55 caps for Croatia during his playing career, has managed several clubs including Hajduk Split, PAOK, Kardemir Karabukspor, Galatasaray, and Udinese. He clinched the Croatian Cup with Hajduk Split in the 2012-13 season.

Taking the helm at Lazio, who currently sit ninth in the Serie A standings, Tudor faces the challenge of closing the eight-point gap to fifth-placed Roma. His debut match as Lazio's head coach is set to be against Juventus, a team he represented as a player from 1998 to 2007.