Alberto Gilardino is back in Parma, returning to a club where he once scored freely as a striker and now faces a very different assignment: keeping the team in Serie A.
Gilardino takes charge after Cuesta exit
- Parma parted company with Carlos Cuesta on Sunday following a disagreement between the coach and the club’s hierarchy.
- On Monday evening, Gilardino reached an agreement to end his contract with Pisa, the Serie B side where he had not been in charge since February.
- The 44-year-old Italian signed for Parma on Tuesday, taking over until the end of the current Serie A campaign.
- Parma hold an option allowing them to extend his deal unilaterally by a further two seasons.
The appointment reunites Gilardino with a familiar badge. During his playing career, the former Italy forward represented Parma from 2002 to 2005, scoring 56 goals in 116 appearances.
His most significant contribution came in the 2004-05 season, when Parma secured survival through a two-legged relegation play-off against Bologna. Two decades later, survival is again the central demand.
A familiar battle for survival
Parma sit 15th in Serie A with four points from five matches: one win, one draw and three defeats. Gilardino arrives with the immediate task of pushing the club clear of danger.
His coaching path has included spells at Pro Vercelli, Siena, Genoa and Pisa. It has been a relatively modest managerial career so far, but Parma are turning to a former goalscorer who knows the pressure around the club — and knows what it takes to keep it in the division.
