Bologna appoint Domenico Tedesco as head coach for his Serie A debut

What happened

Bologna confirmed Domenico Tedesco as their new head coach on Tuesday, the German-Italian signing a contract that runs to 30 June 2028 with an option for a further season. He succeeds Vincenzo Italiano in what marks his first job in Serie A.

Why it matters

The appointment hands a well-travelled coach his entry into Italian football and sets the tone for Bologna's summer. Tedesco arrives with a substantial CV across four countries but no domestic track record to draw on at home, making both his integration and his first signings closely watched as the club shapes a squad in his image.

Context

Tedesco built his reputation in Germany with Erzgebirge Aue, Schalke and RB Leipzig — winning the DFB-Pokal with Leipzig in 2021-22 — before spells at Spartak Moscow, as head coach of the Belgium national team, and most recently at Fenerbahçe, where he lifted the Turkish Super Cup in 2025. He takes the Bologna job having left the Istanbul club.

The club has already mapped out his first weeks: the squad reports to the Casteldebole training base on 10 July before a pre-season camp in Vallès, in the Val Pusteria, from 13 to 25 July.

What to watch next

The immediate focus falls on Tedesco's backroom staff and his opening moves once the Serie A transfer window opens on 29 June, with the pre-season camp the first real glimpse of how he intends to set the team up. Beyond that, attention turns to whether he can build on the platform Italiano left rather than reset it.