Cagliari-Ranieri, it is. But the club is now not ruling out other solutions
The parties have updated to date: to slow down the closing, the figures of the engagement. A future as a manager was also proposed to the coach. The names of Iachini, Ballardini, D'Aversa, Stramaccioni and Breda also remain in the background, all possible solutions in the event of a "no" from the coach from Testaccio
Claudio Ranieri and the president of Cagliari Tommaso Giulini (Archive)
It is still negotiating, because the goal is to get back together, but the company is looking around in case it doesn't close . Yesterday afternoon the Cagliari management had a discussion with Claudio Ranieri, the number one candidate for the succession of Fabio Liverani. The agreement, given for imminent, however, has not yet been reached, even if moderate optimism continues to filter from circles close to the club. In short, the smoke is gray. There's no rush, though. The meeting was held in Rome, but did not end with the signatures at the bottom of the contract. And we need to understand if and when they will arrive.
Late in the evening, there was still no clear indication of the contractual scaffolding on which to support the Great Return. So much so that among the insiders the rumor has spread of a cooling off of a negotiation, which however is still standing at the moment. So much so that the parties would have adjourned to this morning for the final considerations.
Rumors on leave accredit Beppe Iachini, Davide Ballardini, Roberto D'Aversa, Roberto Breda, Andrea Stramaccioni and Diego Lopez as alternative figures for the bench in the face of a refusal by Ranieri.
Sir Claudio's new experience at Cagliari – as the coach from Testaccio already dreamed of thirty years ago, when he left the island for Naples – will, if it exists, be expected to last over time. So here's a three-year deal on the plate, with figures judged by the club to be important for both Serie B and Serie A, should the rossoblùs return to the top flight. And precisely on the engagement, but also on the management guarantees (of the group and techniques) requested by Ranieri, that there would be a slowdown. As for the figures, the problem would not be for this year, but for next year. And that is: if the team does not return to Serie A, the club, which will already lose the comfort of the parachute, could not sustain, without adequate revenues, a contract with figures close to 1.5-1.8 million. A problem which, in the event of promotion, could be circumvented thanks to the higher revenues deriving, for example, from television rights. To convince Ranieri, who has always underlined his bond with the island and the city, Cagliari would have also included a role in the club after the conclusion of the contract, to better honor the work done.
Despite being 71 years old, the coach would be highly motivated to get back into the game. It remains to be seen whether this is economically feasible, also because - above all - any recovery in the second round would depend on an adequate strengthening campaign. With at least one central defense (there are rumors, among others, of Matteo Bianchetti from Cremona), a left winger and a central midfielder with leg and physicality (such as the Turin player Samuele Ricci). In the next few hours, however, the picture could be decidedly clearer even if the Muzzi-Pisacane tandem will almost certainly sit on the bench on Monday 26 against Cosenza.
