Paolo Zanetti appointed Udinese head coach as Maduka Okoye prepares for new era

Udinese have appointed former Atalanta midfielder Paolo Zanetti as their new head coach, with Nigeria goalkeeper Maduka Okoye due to begin working under him on Tuesday afternoon.

The Italian Serie A club confirmed Zanetti’s arrival in an official statement on their website after dismissing Kosta Runjaic following a poor run of results.

Zanetti’s first training session will come after Udinese’s 5-2 defeat by AS Roma on Saturday at the Bluenergy Stadium. The result proved the final setback for Runjaic, whose side conceded five times in front of their home supporters.

Okoye started that match and made his 10th consecutive Serie A appearance of the season. The 25-year-old had been Runjaic’s first-choice goalkeeper and made 67 appearances in all competitions during the German manager’s time in charge, keeping 17 clean sheets.

The Nigeria international had previously faced criticism from Runjaic after making an error in Udinese’s 2-1 defeat by Roma on October 12.

Okoye had to wait until the ninth matchday to register his first clean sheet of the campaign, before Roma scored five times in the latest meeting between the sides.

Zanetti, 43, has signed a contract with Udinese that runs until June 30, 2027.

The Valdagno-born coach has previously managed Sudtirol, Ascoli, Venezia, Empoli and Hellas Verona.

His playing career included spells with Vicenza, Empoli, Ascoli, Torino, Grosseto, Sorrento and Reggiana.