8 options after Pep Guardiola snub

Italy‘s hopes of appointing Pep Guardiola as their next manager have quickly been dashed, so where do they turn from here?

As fascinating as it would have been to see Guardiola try out international management, it’s just too soon after his departure from Manchester City for him to consider taking on a new challenge – especially one as tough as this Italian rebuilding job.

And so the FIGC’s search for a replacement for Gennaro Gattuso has led them down another dead end.

Silvio Baldini has been in caretaker charge since Gattuso’s resignation, but the 67-year-old, who usually manages the country’s under-21s, won’t be a long-term solution.

With the available options dwindling, we’ve taken a look at some contenders who could still potentially take the Italy job.

Antonio Conte

Ten years have passed since Conte quit as Italy manager after Euro 2016. It might be time to consider a reunion.

Conte wanted to return to club football after his two years in charge of his country, taking the Chelsea job. With spells at Inter Milan, Tottenham Hotspur and Napoli under his belt since, he’s running out of options to remain in the club game.

About to turn 57, Conte is one of the most successful tacticians Italy has produced.

There’s always a catch with Conte, true. He’s an abrasive figure who causes some kind of friction everywhere he goes. But he also gets results.

Since his first spell in charge of Italy, he’s won league titles with Chelsea, Inter and Napoli.

And now with every Serie A bench occupied ahead of the new season, returning to the national team might be Conte’s best bet.

Roberto Mancini

Mancini was the manager Italy turned to after failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Could they do the same after failing to qualify in 2026?

Yes, Mancini was at the helm when they missed out on the 2022 tournament as well. But before that, he led them to glory at Euro 2020.

Italy may feel like they need to move in a new direction, but with candidates not exactly jumping out, Mancini would be worth reconsidering.

His win percentage in his previous spell was 61%. He vacated his role in 2023 to take charge of Saudi Arabia for two years, before spending last season back in club management with Al Sadd.

But the 61-year-old quit the Qatari club a year ahead of schedule this summer, potentially teeing up a return to Italy.

Xavi

Now for a more left-field suggestion, but that’s the kind of thing Italy need to be thinking about if Conte or Mancini don’t return.

Former Barcelona boss Xavi recently opened the door to taking charge of a national team.

“My next step could be a national team. I’ll say it openly: this could be a good fit for me,” he said.

“I have family. A club wouldn’t allow me as much time with my family; I’ve got young children.

“I’m keen to take part as a coach in a World Cup, Euros, AFCON, or the Asian Cup.”

After winning the World Cup under Luis de la Fuente, the Spain job is unlikely to become available, and Xavi seems to be keeping his options open given the number of continents he referred to.

He never played for a club in Italy, but was closely linked with both Milan clubs at various points of his career.

As a manager, Xavi has a reputation for helping to promote youth – he was the one to give Lamine Yamal his Barcelona debut, for example – and that’s the kind of vision Italy need if they are to re-establish themselves in the long term.

Andrea Pirlo

Out with one former Italy midfielder, in with another?

Gattuso’s fellow 2006 World Cup winner Pirlo has been tipped as a potential successor in the Italy dugout.

His career as a manager has been a funny one to judge. He was thrown into the Juventus job early on, winning the Coppa Italia but being dismissed after one season only as their streak of Serie A titles came to an end.

Since then, he’s managed in Turkey, Serie B and the UAE. It isn’t exactly a CV befitting of his playing career.

But the 47-year-old has friends in high places on the FIGC’s evolving board and they could gamble on his footballing brain.

Thiago Motta

It’s funny what one bad spell at a big club can do to a manager’s reputation. Before his underwhelming season in charge of Juventus, Motta was building a reputation as one of Europe’s most promising coaches after guiding Bologna into the Champions League.

No one has taken a chance on Motta since his sacking by Juventus last March.

After making 30 appearances for Italy in his playing career, could Motta be worth a shot?

It remains to be seen if the 43-year-old would fancy international management, but he had more success in an underdog role. They wouldn’t like to admit it, but that’s where Italy are now.

Rudi Garcia

Although he’s not Italian, Garcia would tick the boxes for having managed in Italy before and having managed a country before.

The reason he isn’t really being put forward as a strong candidate is that the results were mixed both times.

Garcia originally took Serie A by storm, winning all 10 of his first matches after being appointed by Roma. But that was more than a decade ago.

He eventually stagnated in Rome, before returning to Italian football for an ill-fated spell with Napoli in 2023.

The Frenchman took charge of Belgium in 2025, but could only take them to the quarter-finals of the World Cup and has since left his post.

Raffaele Palladino

Palladino has shown some promise as a manager in club football in Italy, keeping Monza in Serie A in his first job before shorter spells with Fiorentina and Atalanta.

Still only 42, Palladino will be awaiting a return to management. In the meantime, he has come into the conversation for the Italy job.

He may lack significant experience, but he could bring new ideas to the table.

Fabio Cannavaro

Another former World Cup winner as a player with Italy, Cannavaro was at the World Cup in their absence this summer as the boss of Uzbekistan.

He has also managed China before, while his club roles in Italy have included spells with Benevento and Udinese.

Cannavaro is still contracted to Uzbekistan, but Italy could try to lure him back to his homeland.

Obviously, the expectations and pressure would be a completely different kettle of fish from his current role, but he might have some internal backers.

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