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ATALANTA MAKE BOLD MOVE — IVAN JURIC SACKED AFTER WEAK START

Atalanta has sacked coach Ivan Juric after a poor start and will replace him with Raffaele Palladino. The former Fiorentina boss, a disciple of Gian Piero Gasperini, is set to sign a contract until 2027.

Atalanta make bold move — Ivan Juric sacked after weak start
Atalanta sack manager Ivan Juric - Photo Credit: Getty Images

Despite Atalanta's valuable Champions League victory over Olympique Marseille, the management decided to fire coach Ivan Juric due to his poor performance against Sassuolo. Raffaele Palladino will take over as coach. Juric had been under intense scrutiny since their first loss to Udinese.

According to Corriere della Sera, the Croat defeated the more costly Thiago Motta last summer. La Dea drew a lot but did not lose until the tenth round. They are now nine points out of the top four Champions League spots in 13th place. The manager never seemed to get along with the players, and he and Ademola Lookman recently got into a public argument.

Following Juric, Atalanta will look to Raffaele Palladino, another protégé of Gian Piero Gasperini. He left Fiorentina last summer after placing eighth, allegedly because he did not agree with the administration.

After Stefano Pioli was fired, he was rumoured to have a brief reconciliation with the Viola, but it never materialised. He will sign a deal that will last until 2027. Before relocating to Tuscany, he enjoyed a prosperous tenure at Monza.

Our Opinion on Atalanta


Although it was hardly the most daring move they could have made, it might have succeeded if he had been able to communicate his ideas and have the team play as hard as his Torino teams, where he lacked as much skill. For whatever reason, it hardly ever occurred. It soon became clear that the latter had a better chance lined up and did not seek to return to the Viola. Although it is not always a significant improvement, he has a greater chance of communicating because he is more proactive, sympathetic, adaptable, and less strict than his predecessor.

TRANSFER ALERT: SCOTT MCTOMINAY LINKED WITH SHOCK PREMIER LEAGUE RETURN THIS JANUARY WINDOW

From Serie A champion to January's biggest target, explore why Scott McTominay might trade Naples for the Premier League in 2026.

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McTominay Weighs Up England Return

Word is Scott McTominay might come back to the Premier League, but not necessarily to Manchester United. After leaving Old Trafford in 2024, the Scottish midfielder really turned things around, scoring 12 goals and winning the Serie A title in his first season.

At 29, he's been key for both his club and country, often scoring late goals to win games. But The Sun says things are a bit tense this season since Napoli are only in third place. Someone close to the situation said Scott likes some things about Italy and had a great first season.

But the fans' enthusiasm can be good and bad. He's seen as a star there, so doing normal stuff when he's not training can be hard. All the attention can be a lot.

So, there's talk about McTominay maybe going to teams like Barcelona, Tottenham, and Newcastle.

He apparently wants to play in England again and might even think about going back to United if things work out.

But McTominay's recent words don't sound too encouraging for a United return. He's said he loves Italy and his current club.

Talking to Sky Sports Italia in October, the former United player said, I'm really happy in Naples.

He also told the BBC this summer, The people in Naples are amazing. They're so into it, and everywhere you go, people say 'Forza Napoli' and want to talk to you, and that motivates you every time you play because they care.

It's different, a whole new way of life—how you eat, how you live, all that. It makes you tougher mentally. I've always lived close to my mom, so I could visit whenever I wanted.

Now I live far away, so I can't just go home and see my mom, my family, my sister, and my kids. It's different, but sometimes you have to step out of what's easy, and I've always liked doing that. I never want to be too comfortable, and if I can go somewhere and do well, why not? Who's stopping me?

JUVENTUS MUST ACT: JORGE MENDES DEMANDS RECORD PAY FOR KENAN YILDIZ RIGHT NOW

Kenan Yildiz wants to be Juventus' highest earner. Discover the two conditions Jorge Mendes has set for the Turkish star's future.

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Yildiz Demands €6m Salary

So, the Kenan Yildiz contract talks have taken an interesting turn.

It's not necessarily bad. And it’s not that shocking because he's become a star super fast. But things are happening, and it feels like Juventus now has to figure out what to do next.

Giovanni Albanese of La Gazzetta dello Sport said on Wednesday that Yildiz basically wants two things in this contract. First, he wants to be at a good club that can actually win trophies soon. Second—and just as important—Yildiz and his agent, Jorge Mendes, want him to be Juventus's highest-paid player when he signs this new deal that Giorgio Chiellini keeps saying is coming.

Yildiz has already signed contract extensions for the last two seasons since Max Allegri brought him up to the senior team at the start of the 2023-24 season. He currently makes around €1.7 million per season.

People can argue about Yildiz asking for so much money—that's fair. People thought he'd ask for something closer to what Jonathan David makes, around €6 million, rather than the super high salary that Dusan Vlahovic gets this year. That's ok.

But the longer it takes Juventus to agree on a new deal, put out a fancy press release, and get Yildiz to pose for photos with his new contract, the longer this whole thing drags on. And it looks like this is one of the biggest deals the club has tried to get done with a current player in a while.

Yildiz isn't going to leave for free like Vlahovic, Federico Chiesa, or Paulo Dybala could have. But it's pretty obvious that Yildiz's people—especially Mendes—want him to get paid like the best player on the team. It shows how quickly Yildiz has become a star that we're even talking about a third contract extension in three seasons. This one will obviously cost a lot more than the other two. Is it too soon to commit over €6 million to a player who isn't even 21 until July? Maybe. But Yildiz is the kind of talent you want to keep happy and under contract for as long as you can.

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