Udinese appoints Paulo Zanetti as new head coach until 2027

Udinese have officially appointed Paolo Zanetti as the new head coach of the first team, with a contract running until June 30, 2027, succeeding the previous manager.

Zanetti is 43 years old, having been born on December 16, 1982, in Valdagno near Vicenza. He previously played for several Italian clubs, most notably FC Empoli, Torino, and Atalanta. He also made five appearances for the Italy U21 national team.

Zanetti began his coaching career with Reggiana's under-18 team, before taking his first professional experience with Sudtirol during the 2017-2018 season. He then took charge of Ascoli in Serie B.

The Italian coach achieved significant success with Venezia, leading the team to promotion to Serie A in the 2020-2021 season for the first time in 19 years, before moving to FC Empoli, where he guided them to a comfortable mid-table position during the 2022-2023 season.

His last experience in Serie A was with Hellas Verona, where he led the team to a 14th place finish in the 2024-2025 season, and he remained with them until February 2026.

Zanetti is set to lead his first training session with Udinese on Tuesday afternoon, with a formal presentation to the media scheduled for Wednesday at 3 PM.