Maurizio Sarri has left Lazio for the second time, with the Italian club confirming his departure by mutual consent following a difficult campaign in which they finished ninth in Serie A and suffered a 2-0 Coppa Italia final defeat against Inter Milan.

The 67-year-old had returned to the Rome club last summer for a second stint, having previously managed Lazio from 2021 to 2024. The Naples-born coach and his entire backroom staff are now free of their contracts after the club issued an official statement confirming the parting.

"S.S. Lazio announces that a mutual agreement has been reached to terminate the contracts of head coach Maurizio Sarri and his coaching staff," the club's statement read.

Lazio also published a video on X bidding farewell to Sarri with the tribute caption: "Thank you for everything, Commander."

A turbulent second chapter

Sarri's second reign at the club proved far less fruitful than his first. During his initial tenure, he guided Lazio to a second-place finish in the 2022-23 Serie A season — the club's strongest league result since their title triumph in 1999-2000. Yet that spell also ended in resignation, after Lazio lost five of six matches across all competitions.

The former Chelsea manager returned last summer in an attempt to revive the club's fortunes, but results never truly recovered. A ninth-place league finish and a Coppa Italia final exit at the hands of Inter Milan brought that chapter to a close.

What's next for Sarri and Lazio?

Italian media are reporting that Sarri is set to take the reins at Atalanta, whose current head coach Raffaele Palladino is expected to depart. Meanwhile, Lazio are believed to have identified former Italy national team manager Gennaro Gattuso as the frontrunner to fill the vacant post in Rome.