AC Milan appoint Giampaolo as head coach

AC Milan have finalised the appointment of Marco Giampaolo as head coach on an initial two-year contract.

Giampaolo, 51, put pen to paper after leaving fellow Serie A side Sampdoria on Saturday, with Milan holding the option to extend his contract by a further season.

The Swiss-born Italian guided Sampdoria to ninth in the last of his three seasons in charge and emerged as the leading option for Milan following Simone Inzaghi’s decision to sign a new deal at Lazio.

Giampaolo replaces Gennaro Gattuso, who stood down in the wake of Milan’s failure to secure Champions League qualification.

Comunicato Ufficiale: Marco Giampaolo https://t.co/tdRtTYqzGj

Official Statement: Marco Giampaolo  https://t.co/tjukG4NVJk pic.twitter.com/sMCnEZEyVt

— AC Milan (@acmilan) June 19, 2019

Having spent time in charge of Cagliari, Brescia and Empoli among others, Giampaolo arrives at San Siro with plenty of experience and forms part of a new-look football department.

Club icon Paolo Maldini and ex-Croatia international Zvonimir Boban were named as the Rossoneri’s new technical director and chief football officer, respectively, on Friday.

Milan will hope the changes bring stability after churning through six full-time head coaches since Massimiliano Allegri’s departure in 2014.