Atalanta sack Juric after poor start
Italian Serie A side Atalanta BC announced today that they have relieved Ivan Juric of his duties as first-team coach, following a disappointing start to the 2025-26 campaign. The decision comes after the club’s 3-0 home defeat to US Sassuolo Calcio, which left Atalanta in 13th place after 11 league matches, having secured only two wins.
Juric had taken over in June 2025, succeeding the long-serving Gian Piero Gasperini, who had guided Atalanta through one of its most successful periods. Expectations were high for the club to maintain its strong domestic and European form, but the campaign unravelled rapidly under Juric’s leadership. The club noted that the coach had “not succeeded in re-capturing the level of performance” seen last season.
Several factors appear to have contributed to the dismissal. Atalanta had managed only two victories in the league, while falling 11 points behind the top team already. The loss to Sassuolo appears to have been the final trigger, compounding an existing crisis of confidence among players and supporters. Moreover, internal tensions reportedly reached a breaking point after a public altercation between Juric and forward Ademola Lookman during a recent Champions League match. The winger was substituted and visibly upset, prompting a confrontation that caught the club’s leadership’s attention.
The Atalanta board has begun talks to appoint a successor. Reports suggest that former Fiorentina coach Raffaele Palladino is the front-runner for the role, with negotiations underway for a contract through June 2027. As the club prepares to face its next challenges, the change at the helm signals an urgent attempt to halt the slide and restore the momentum that made Atalanta one of Italy’s most admired teams in recent seasons.
