Atalanta parted company with coach Raffaele Palladino on June 9, ending his brief tenure at the club after 39 matches in charge since his November 2025 appointment [1, 2]. Palladino, 42, took over from Ivan Juric when Atalanta was positioned in the lower half of the Serie A table and guided the team to a seventh-place league finish last season after a difficult start [1, 2].
Despite steady improvement under Palladino, Atalanta failed to reach the benchmarks set by former manager Gian Piero Gasperini [1, 2]. The club also suffered a heavy 10-2 aggregate defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League round of 16, marking a disappointing end to their European campaign [1, 2].
Italian media have reported that Maurizio Sarri, 67, is the leading candidate to replace Palladino at Atalanta [1, 2]. Sarri recently ended his contract with Lazio by mutual agreement, leaving him available for a new managerial role [1, 2]. Sarri’s experience includes coaching top clubs such as Juventus, Chelsea, and Lazio.
Palladino’s appointment in November was seen as a chance to steady the club after a poor start under Juric, but Atalanta sought a change following the conclusion of the season on June 9 [1, 2]. The next step for the club will be formalizing the appointment of a new head coach ahead of the upcoming Serie A season.