Napoli have hired Walter Mazzarri as their new head coach after firing Rudi García just four months into his tenure, the club’s owner Aurelio De Laurentiis announced on Tuesday.
Mazzarri, who previously coached the Italian champions from 2009 to 2013, has reportedly signed a deal until the end of the season.
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De Laurentiis announced the move in a post on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, saying “Welcome back Walter!”
His hiring brings the short-lived García era to an end, with De Laurentiis seeing Sunday’s 1-0 home defeat to Empoli as the final straw.
The club are yet to announce García’s firing.
Napoli sit fourth in Serie A, 10 points behind league leaders Inter Milan. Home form proved a particular problem for García, with the team’s last win in all competitions at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona coming against Udinese on Sept. 27.
Mazzarri’s most recent managerial experience came at Cagliari, where he was sacked in May 2022 after eight months in charge with the team in the relegation zone.