Spalletti named new Roma boss

Roma have appointed Luciano Spalletti as the new man in charge at the Stadio Olimpico following the dismissal of Rudi Garcia.

The Serie A outfit fired Garcia as their head coach on Wednesday following their poor run of form in recent months, with Roma dropping to fifth place in the table after just one win in their last seven league games.

Several reports suggested they had lined up Spalletti as Garcia's replacement and the 56-year-old's return to the Italian capital has now been confirmed.

Spalletti previously worked at Roma between 2005 and 2009, guiding them to two Coppa Italia titles and one Supercoppa Italiana wins.

He left Roma in September 2009 after an underwhelming start to the season.

The former Udinese boss returned to coaching at Zenit in December of that year and led his new team to two Russian Premier League titles, but he was fired in March 2014 and has since been out of work.

Roma resume Serie A action on January 17, when they host Verona.

Speaking to Roma's official website, Spalletti said: "I'm excited because I know what the merits of this city, this club and this team are. It's exciting to work with such worthy people."

Roma president James Pallotta added: "We are very excited to welcome Luciano Spalletti back to Roma. He is a proven winner with a strong track record of success. We are looking forward to working together to take Roma to where we believe it should be."

Spalletti began his coaching career at Empoli in 1995, leading the club he represented as a player from Serie C to Serie A in successive seasons.

Along with helming Sampdoria, Venezia and Acona, he enjoyed two spells at Udinese – leading them to Champions League qualification in 2005 to pave the way for his first Roma tenure.

Roma chief executive Italo Zanzi said: "We have so much to play for this season, both in Italy and Europe.  Luciano Spalletti's arrival only adds to the confidence we have in our players and team."