Former Chelsea star Gianfranco Zola has been appointed manager of Italian Serie A side Cagliari.
Zola, 48, has previously worked as boss of West Ham and Watford, and was also the co-manager of the Italy under-21 side, but takes on his first major job in his homeland to replace the sacked Zdenek Zeman.
Cagliari are Zola's hometown club, with the former striker having ended his career after playing for them for two years between 2003-05.
"Welcome home Gianfranco," read the statement posted on the Cagliari website. "Both (Zola and Casiraghi) put their international experience and their winning mentality at the disposal of the company and the team to get the results that all the fans of Cagliari deserve."
Bentornato Gianfranco http://t.co/Oi7SDExEAu
- Cagliari Calcio (@CagliariCalcio) December 24, 2014
Zola will begin training on Dec. 28 and takes his former co-manager of the U21s, Pierluigi Casiraghi, as his assistant.
The former striker, a hero at Chelsea following his seven-year spell at Stamford Bridge, will be tasked with saving the club from relegation.
They lie third from bottom of the table, three points from safety and without a win in eight league matches.