La Liga club Valencia have terminated the contract of their manager Gennaro Gattuso after just seven months on the job.
Valencia appointed the Italian-born tactician as their new manager last summer on a two-year contract.
Before taking up the role with the La Liga outfit, Gattuso had managed two top clubs in Serie A – AC Milan and Napoli, including other clubs in Italian football.
However, luck did not shine on the 45-year-old. In his short spell with Valencia, he has taken charge of 18 La Liga matches, losing eight and was in the bottom half of the table, three points above the relegation zone.
His last match against Real Valladolid in La Liga ended in a defeat, compounding the woes of the club
According to Valencia, Gattuso exited Los Ches after the club reached a decision for his two-year deal to be terminated through mutual agreement
Gattuso is the fourth manager at Los Ches to leave the club in three years. The La Liga club are now looking for a fourth manager to take over from him.
A stalwart of the club Voro Gonzalez will take charge of the club at the interim while the search for Gattuso’s replacement continue.
Why the sudden departure of Gennaro Gattuso?
Since joining the club as manager Gattuso has struggled with Valencia and had lost the confidence of the club’s hierachy. His relationship with the club’s hierarchy was further strained after he lost his cool with Valencia fans.
After the last defeat to Real Valladolid, Gattuso was filmed losing his cool with a cameraman after the club arrived in the city of Valencia after the game.
After Valencia arrived at home from the game, passionate Valencia supporters were said to have offered words of support.
While the fans attempted to show their solidarity, Gattuso is said to have flared up after he noticed a cameraman taking footage of the scene.
An angry Gattuso pushed the camera away before gesturing angrily at the cameraman. Footage from another angle also captured the push, as well as showing Gattuso berating the man.
Gattuso’s loose cadence did not go down well with Valencia. The club immediately apologize to the teeming Valencia fans who showed up and immediately announced the mutual termination of Gattuso’s contract.
A club statement read: “Valencia CF announces that this Monday, January 30, the club and the first team coach, Gennaro Gattuso, have decided by mutual agreement to end the contractual relationship that united the Italian coach with the VCF.
“The Club wants to thank the coach for his commitment and work in these months in charge of the first team and wish him the best of luck in his future. The team will return to training this Tuesday, January 31, under the orders of ‘Voro’ Gonzalez.”
As a player, Gattuso spent almost the entirety of his football career in his homeland in Italy. As a manager, he has remained in Italy after starting as a player coach at Sion.
Valencia is the first club he has managed outside the shores of Italian football. Throughout his managerial career, he has won only one trophy – 2019/2020 Coppa Italia with Napoli.
