It's D-day for Turin giants Juventus as they appointed Claudio Ranieri, who recently resigned from Parma.
I really don't understand this. Considering the reputation of the 'old lady', Juve could have gotten a much better manager than Ranieri, considering his poor managerial results in recent years (Chelsea, Valencia and Parma). In fact, i think Deschamp, who resigned from the Juve post after winning the Serie B title, is better than Ranieri.
Now Inter have one less rival to worry about next season.... so much for 'Watch out for Juve next season!'...
Ranieri appointed as new Juventus coachSoccernet
Juventus have appointed Claudio Ranieri as their new coach on a three-year contract.
The former Chelsea and Valencia manager quit Parma last week after leading the club to Serie A safety and had been widely tipped to join Manchester City.
However, City's offer depended on the success of Thaksin Shinawatra's stalled takeover of the Premiership club and Juve beat the Citizens to Ranieri's signature.
The 56-year-old takes over from Didier Deschamp, who parted company with the Turin club after winning promotion to Serie A at the first attempt. Juve were demoted last summer and began the season on minus nine points after being found guilty of match-fixing.
A statement form the Stadio Delle Alpi read: 'Claudio Ranieri has signed a contract which will see him tied to the club from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2010.
'For Juventus, this is the best possible choice to achieve the aims set out by the club's tradition.
'Ranieri is a man of great experience and international vision. He is able to carry out the sporting project approved by the administrative council.'
Juventus president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli added on Rai TV: 'Ranieri has the technical skills and is at the right age to be of interest to the long-term plan of Juventus'.
Ranieir started his managerial career with Pozzuoli-based Campania in 1987 before making his name with Cagliari by getting the club promoted to the top flight.
After further spells in his homeland with Napoli and Fiorentina, Ranieri tried his luck in Spain and enjoyed a two-year stint at the Valencia helm during which time he won the 1997 Copa del Rey and guided the club into the Champions League.
A brief period at Atletico Madrid followed before Ranieri headed to England to join Chelsea in 2000.
The Italian lead the Blues to the semi-finals of the Champions League and lay the foundations of the current team's success with the signings of Joe Cole, Frank Lampard and Petr Cech before being sacked by Roman Abramovich in 2004.
Ranieri was out of work for just over a week before returning to Valencia, although his three-year contract with Los Che proved insignificant when he was sacked the following February with the club in sixth spot and out of the Champions League.
He took up the reins at Parma in February 2007 after two years out of work, and successfully helped the club retain their top-flight status.
