Palermo appoint Zenga

Palermo have surprisingly brought in Walter Zenga as their new coach just days after stepping down at Catania.

Zenga, who has kept Catania in Serie A for the past two seasons, had been linked with Lazio in the Italian press.

But he has now made the shock switch to Catania's Sicilian rivals Palermo after they parted company with Davide Ballardini.

"He has signed a three-year deal," Palermo President Maurizio Zamparini told reporters.

Ballardini guided Palermo to eighth place in Serie A last season and had looked set to stay until he announced that he had fallen out with Zamparini.

Zamparini then mentioned former Juventus boss Claudio Ranieri and Siena's Marco Giampaolo as possible candidates to succeed Ballardini but Zenga has been given the nod.

"I am very happy to have hired Zenga," Zamparini added. "He is a great man and a very good trainer. His determination really struck me."

Source: Sky Sports