Atalanta have named Maurizio Sarri as head coach after dismissing Raffaele Palladino, who still delivered seventh place in Serie A and secured UEFA Conference League football. Palladino’s departure came only six months after appointment, with Atalanta moving quickly to agree terms with Sarri following the coach’s exit from Lazio.

Sarri reached a mutual agreement to end a contract with Lazio that had been due to run until the end of the 2025-26 season. The 67-year-old ended a mixed final campaign in Rome, as Lazio finished ninth in Serie A and lost the Coppa Italia final against Inter.

Across two separate periods at Lazio, Sarri took charge of 142 Serie A matches and won 66 of them. Lazio also recorded 34 draws and 42 defeats under Sarri, giving an average return of 1.63 points per league game. Atalanta view Sarri as a stabilising figure, having already changed coach three times since Gian Piero Gasperini left in June last year.

Palladino arrived from previous roles with Monza and Fiorentina and inherited Atalanta while the club sat 13th in the table. Over 39 matches in all competitions, Palladino achieved 18 wins, eight draws and 13 defeats, with a 46% win rate that was the second-best of a still-growing coaching career.

Sarri’s arrival also reunites the coach with sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli, after the two worked together at Napoli between 2015 and 2018. Atalanta now look to that partnership, Sarri’s tactical experience and recent European qualification to build a more consistent future following a turbulent run of coaching changes.