With Andrea Pirlo now looking increasingly unlikely to be handed the Italy job because of his link with a Russian betting company, the search has started again, with Antonio Conte, Roberto Mancini, Stefano Pioli and Raffaele Palladino among the names being considered.
The Azzurri had already seen Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola reject the approach, so technical director Paolo Maldini and special advisor Leonardo had moved on to Pirlo.
But the backlash in Italy over his role as a global brand ambassador for a Russian betting company has created tension, and there has even been the threat of legal action if he were appointed to the Nazionale post.
FIGC President Giovanni Malago (left) with coach Roberto Mancini (right): @coppa_canottieri via Instagram.
They are now being pushed even further down the list to Plan D, which could mean a return to the dugout for either Conte or Mancini.
Between the two, Mancini would be more willing and certainly less expensive, but as former Azzurri bosses, they would not be too happy about being placed behind Pirlo in the pecking order.
NAPLES, ITALY – JULY 12: Paolo Maldini AC Milan Technical director and Stefano Pioli AC Milan look on coach before the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and AC Milan at Stadio San Paolo on July 12, 2020 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)
La Gazzetta dello Sport has also examined several other candidates, especially those who are currently out of work.
Pioli had already worked closely with Maldini at Milan, where they won the Scudetto, but he was dismissed by Fiorentina only a few weeks into last season.
CAGLIARI, ITALY – APRIL 27: Coach of Atalanta Raffaele Palladino looks on during the Serie A match between Cagliari Calcio and Atalanta BC at Stadio Sant’Elia on April 27, 2026 in Cagliari, Italy. (Photo by Enrico Locci/Getty Images)
Palladino is closer to the Pirlo style, a young coach who prefers possession football and follows in the path of his mentor Gian Piero Gasperini.
He is 42 years old and has had strong spells with Monza, Fiorentina and Atalanta, whom he lifted out of danger and guided to a sixth-place finish in Serie A after taking charge in November 2025.
Palladino could not agree on the way forward, and so he left Atalanta by mutual consent this summer.
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