Francesco Farioli has been named as Nice’s new manager despite Sunderland links.
The French club announced his appointment on Friday morning, two months after he was thought to be top of Sunderland’s list for next season.
Farioli only found his first job in management in 2021, becoming Europe’s youngest manager in a professional league at the age of 31.
The Italian finished 13th in the Turkish Süper Lig with Alanyaspor last season and had been heavily linked with a surprise move to the Stadium of Light this summer.
Journalist Fabrizio Romano broke the news back in April, tweeting: ‘Sunderland appreciate Francesco Farioli as new head coach for the next season, he’s on top of their list’.
Rumours of Farioli’s arrival were played down by the club after a sensational season for Tony Mowbray that saw the Black Cats reach the Championship play-offs.
Farioli replaces Nice’s interim manager Didier Digard, who took charge of the club in January following Lucien Favre’s sacking.
Appointing Francesco Farioli would have been a terrible decision from Sunderland
Sunderland fans were unsurprisingly in shock when it was reported that Francesco Farioli could be named as their new manager as they headed into their penultimate game of the Championship season.
While very few knew anything about the Italian manager, supporters were more concerned about the news that the Black Cats were considering parting ways with Tony Mowbray.
The 59-year-old has done a brilliant job since replacing Alex Neil in August and massively exceeded expectations by finishing in the top six, while his work with the young players certainly didn’t go unnoticed.
The new owners are clearly eager to keep the club youthful and modern and perhaps Mowbray doesn’t fit into that, but to get rid of him would have been a huge mistake and it is a huge relief to see their former target join Nice.