Farioli is who? The 34-year-old Italian coach has been connected to a Sunderland transfer.

Prior to the 2023–24 season, Sunderland, an English second division team, is eyeing Francesco Farioli as a possible replacement for head coach Tony Mowbray.

After starting his career as a head coach in Turkey with Alanyaspor and Fatih Karagumruk between 2021 and 2023, the 34-year-old Italian is a sought-after asset on the managerial market.

At the age of 31, Farioli became the youngest head coach in any European professional league when he signed with the former.

Prior to that, Farioli—who was born in Barga—had added a long list of roles from several clubs to his resume. He also served as Roberto De Zerbi’s goalkeeping coach at Benevento and Sassuolo from 2017 to 20.

Before then, the emerging young coaching talent held positions in Qatar, firstly with the national Under-17 team and then moved onto the Aspire Academy for two years. In his early 20s, Farioli plied his trade in the lower divisions of the Italian pyramid, starting out with Margine Coperta, before spending four years with Serie D side Fortis Juventus and then spent a further year with Lucchese in Serie C, although has not yet coached individually in Italy’s top flight. Having resigned from his position with Alanyaspor in January, Farioli is said to be prepared for a new challenge and could join promotion hopefuls Sunderland in the summer, although there is also interest from Portugal in the form of Braga.

READ MORE:

Lazio is after Clarke, a Sunderland talent.

Italian media state that Lazio, led by Maurizio Sarri, has requested offensive winger Jack Clarke from Sunderland.

Sportitalia and Sky Sport Italia have both indicated that the Biancocelesti are interested.

The 23-year-old’s contract with the Black Cats expires in June 2026, and Sky Sport Italia warns that they don’t appear to be very interested in considering offers.

After spending time in Leeds United’s junior academies, Clarke was signed by Tottenham Hotspur for €11 million in the summer of 2019.

Prior to moving to Sunderland for an alleged €1 million plus a 25% share of the eventual transfer fee, he had loan stints at QPR and Stoke City.

This season, Clarke appeared in 29 Championship games (Serie B in English), scoring 13 goals and dishing out three assists.

Given that Lazio will play Bayern Munich in the Champions League Round of 16, they have a somewhat limited roster. However, he is seen as a valuable alternative to Mattia Zaccagni and Felipe Anderson, as he can play on both the left and right wing.