Vieira named new head coach of Italian side Genoa

Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira has been appointed as the new head coach of Serie A club Genoa.

The 48-year-old joins a club that is in 17th position in the Italian top flight, one point above the relegation zone.

The former Crystal Palace manager, who left RC Strasbourg in July, succeeds ex-Italy striker Alberto Gilardino, who had been in charge since December 2022.

Under 2006 World Cup winner Gilardino, Genoa had won two of their 12 league matches this season and were knocked out of the Coppa Italia by Sampdoria on penalties.

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The appointment reunites Vieira with Mario Balotelli, who signed for Genoa last month.

Vieira managed his former Manchester City and Inter Milan team-mate at Ligue 1 side Nice during the 2018–19 season.

Balotelli has since said it was disagreements with Vieira over tactics that led to his exit from the club in 2019.

During his playing career, Vieira won three Premier League titles and four FA Cups at Arsenal, as well as silverware with AC Milan, Inter Milan and Manchester City.

He also helped France win the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship. Vieira retired in 2011 and became the manager of New York City in 2016.

The former midfielder returned to Europe with Nice and led them to a seventh-place finish in Ligue 1 in his first season but was fired in December 2020.

Vieira became Palace manager in 2021 and guided the Eagles to the FA Cup semi-finals.

He was sacked in 2023 after a 12-game winless run, before joining Strasbourg as their first appointment following a takeover by BlueCo, the company which also owns Chelsea.