The possibility of Gennaro Gattuso stepping down, having failed to lead Italy to qualification for this summer’s World Cup, has sparked a wave of rumours about potential replacements.
Gabriele Gravina, president of the Italian Football Federation, held an emergency meeting on Thursday, during which he tendered his resignation following the failure to qualify for the World Cup.
With Gravina’s departure, the chances of Gattuso remaining in his current role have dwindled significantly, opening the door to the search for a new manager.
The new manager could take the reins this summer to embark on a long-term project with the Azzurri, who must start from scratch after many years of absence from the World Cup.
In this regard, speculation has begun in Italy regarding potential replacements for Gattuso, whose days at the helm of the Azzurri appear to be numbered.
Two Italian names are strongly linked with the job: Roberto Mancini and Antonio Conte, but the biggest surprise could be the arrival of another manager.
According to the newspaper "La Gazzetta dello Sport", the third, and perhaps most intriguing, candidate is Pep Guardiola, whose future with Manchester City remains shrouded in uncertainty.
Although it is unusual to have a foreign manager on the Italian national team’s bench, the idea is not impossible.
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