The club ready to make Andrea Pirlo their new coach for 2022/23

Euan McTear

17 Apr 2022 12:23 BST
3 min read

Andrea Pirlo: ‘Of course’ I want to keep Juventus job — © ProShots

Andrea Pirlo has been out of work since he was sacked by Juventus at the end of the 2020/21 season, but the 42-year-old might be about to return to management. He has reportedly been offered the head coaching job at Sporting Clube de Braga, which will become vacant this coming summer.

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Carlos Carvalhal is currently in charge at the Portuguese club, but his contract isn’t going to be renewed and he is planning his next job, potentially in Turkey. That leaves the directors at the Estádio Municipal de Braga looking for their next manager and Pirlo has become a realistic possibility.

According to A Bola, the SC Braga chairman Antonio Oliveira has been keen to bring Pirlo to the club for some time and has been working on the offer that will be presented to the Italian. They believe that the chance to work in a new country will be attractive to Pirlo, as will the fact that SC Braga are on course to play European football in 2022/23, while they also have the third-youngest squad in the division, one with several exciting talents.

While a more formal offer is being finalised, Pirlo has already been informed of the interest and he is intrigued. He wants to learn more and, according to A Bola, he has started researching the club and their current squad.

🇮🇹 | Andrea Pirlo to manage SC Braga?

Abola are reporting that António Salvador wants the Italian to take over with current boss Carlos Carvalhal expected to leave in the summer. pic.twitter.com/YGXksD5wWU
— Próxima Jornada (@ProximaJornada1) April 16, 2022

Pirlo’s 52 matches as a coach

When Pirlo was offered the Juventus job in the summer of 2020, he had famously never coached at the professional level and sat in the dugout as a complete novice. He was in charge for 52 matches that season, but it was a disappointing campaign as the Old Lady won just 34 games, while drawing 10 and losing eight.

They did win two trophies, though, defeating Napoli in the Supercoppa Italiana final and Atalanta in the Coppa Italia final. Now, he could be given a fresh start in a new league.