Serie A champions Napoli have sacked head coach Rudi Garcia, who has been succeeded by the returning Walter Mazzarri.
Former Lyon and Al-Nassr head coach Garcia was a surprise appointment to replace Scudetto-winning head coach Luciano Spalletti in the summer, as the latter took over from Roberto Mancini as Italy manager.
Garcia's opening two games in charge of the Partenopei ended in victories over Frosinone and Sassuolo, but Napoli's Serie A dominance soon waned as they posted an indifferent set of results.
From their opening 12 games of the new domestic campaign, Napoli have only claimed six wins alongside three draws and three defeats, most recently suffering a humbling 1-0 home loss to Empoli on Sunday.
That result left Napoli fourth in the table with 21 points, 10 worse off than leaders Inter Milan and eight adrift of Juventus in second place, while Atalanta BC and Fiorentina are just one point behind the holders.
In addition, Napoli remain at risk of missing out on a place in the Champions League knockout stages, despite taking seven points from their first four games to sit second in Group C behind already-qualified Real Madrid.
Last week, the Partenopei were held to a 1-1 draw by a Union Berlin side who had previously suffered 12 straight defeats, and following weeks of speculation over his future, Garcia has now been given the boot.
Walter Mazzarri è il nuovo allenatore del Napoli.
— Official SSC Napoli (@sscnapoli) November 14, 2023
⁰Bentornato Mister! pic.twitter.com/i5EXAziuVP
The 59-year-old departs with a 50% win rate from his 16 matches at the helm, claiming eight wins, four draws and four defeats during his ill-fated tenure, and Napoli reportedly began searching for his successor a while back.
Antonio Conte apparently rejected the opportunity to return to management with Napoli, while Igor Tudor and 2006 World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro were also linked with the role.
However, the Serie A champions have elected to bring 62-year-old Mazzarri back for a second spell in the dugout, having initially hired the Italian to take charge in the early stages of the 2009-10 season.
Mazzarri spent just under four years in charge of Napoli, guiding the club to the last 16 of the 2011-12 Champions League - where they lost 5-4 on aggregate to Chelsea - and winning the Coppa Italia that same year.
Mazzarri departed his post at the end of the 2012-13 season, exiting with a record of 73 wins from 145 Serie A matches - only William Garbutt (92), Maurizio Sarri (79) and Eraldo Monzeglio (77) have achieved more in Napoli's history.
Since exiting Napoli for the first time, Mazzarri has served as manager of Inter Milan, Watford, Torino and Cagliari, ending his association with the latter at the end of the 2021-22 season.
The 62-year-old - who is believed to have signed a seven-month contract - will begin his second stint in charge of Napoli with a trip to Atalanta BC on November 25 following the international break.
Ben Knapton
