Gentile favourite to replace Juventus´s Ferrara

Former Italy Under-21 coach Claudio Gentile has emerged as the favourite to take over at Juventus, with Ciro Ferrara expected to be fired soon after a dismal run of form.

The Turin giants are out of the Champions League and well off the pace in the Serie A title race, having lost five of their last six league games and slipped down to sixth.

“Juve Await Gentile,” read the front-page headline of Thursday’s La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Juve’s management have stopped giving Ferrari votes of confidence after recent losses and local media say he will be dismissed no matter what happens in Thursday’s Italian Cup quarter-final at league leaders Inter Milan.

The club have not sacked him before because they were unable to land a suitable replacement, according to the reports, after knock-backs by former bosses Dino Zoff and Giovanni Trapattoni, who is now in charge of Ireland.

Gazzetta said Gentile had talks with the club’s management on Wednesday about taking over until the end of the season, with the main aim being qualification for next term’s Champions League or at least fourth-place for a slot in the preliminary rounds.

He would effectively be keeping the coach’s seat warm for the appointment of a permanent replacement at the end of the season, as speculation mounts that Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez is the top target.

Gentile, who was at the heart of the defence of the successful Juve side of the 1970s and 80s, as well as a member of Italy’s 1982 World Cup-winning team, has never coached a club before and has not worked in football for three years.

His main rival for Ferrara’s job is reportedly former AC Milan, Lazio and Inter coach Alberto Zaccheroni, who has not worked for three years either.