Alberto Aquilani Appointed Sassuolo Head Coach

Alberto Aquilani has been appointed head coach of Serie A club Sassuolo, according to a report by Fabrizio Romano. He will replace Fabio Grosso, who resigned to take the Fiorentina job. The agreement gives Aquilani his first top‑flight managerial role. Aquilani, 41, is coming from Serie B side Catanzaro, which he joined last summer. He steered Catanzaro to a fifth‑place finish in the league. The campaign ended with a play‑off final loss to Monza, denying promotion to Serie A. The Sassuolo appointment will be Aquilani’s third senior head‑coach job. He began his coaching career with Fiorentina’s Under‑19 team before moving to Pisa. Both roles preceded his spell at Catanzaro. As a player, Aquilani arrived at Liverpool in 2009 from Roma for a reported £20 million fee, replacing Xabi Alonso under manager Rafael Benitez. Injuries delayed his debut until October, and he made only 28 appearances for the Reds, including 18 in the Premier League. Benitez departed in the summer of 2010, after which Aquilani’s time at Anfield dwindled. After leaving Liverpool, Aquilani spent a season on loan at Juventus, then a further season with AC Milan. In 2012 he signed permanently for Fiorentina in a deal that saw Liverpool receive less than £2 million. His playing career never matched the early expectations set by the costly transfer. In a 2024 interview with the Liverpool Echo, Aquilani described his move to England as forced by injury and a lengthy recovery. He said his agent informed him of Liverpool’s interest and that the £20 million contract raised expectations he could not fulfil while sidelined. He recalled the team’s poor form, exit from the Champions League and missing the top‑four, noting he signed in early August but did not play until late October, a three‑month gap.