Ranieri appointed Monaco head coach

Claudio Ranieri has been appointed the new coach of Monaco, ending speculation linking him with a move to West Brom.

The Ligue 2 club confirmed Ranieri's arrival in a statement on their website today, the 60-year-old Italian signing a two-year contract with the option for a further 12 months.

"AS Monaco Football Club is delighted to announce the appointment of Claudio Ranieri as the club's new head coach," read the statement.

"The appointment follows a rigorous search and selection process during which Claudio Ranieri clearly emerged as the outstanding candidate for the job.

"He is regarded as one of the leading coaches in modern European football and brings to ASM FC a wealth of experience and achievement in the game.

"We are confident that, under Claudio Ranieri's leadership, the team will continue the strong improvement it experienced in the second half of last season.

"Above all, we believe his coaching skills will bring an extra dimension to the preparation of the team that will help drive the level of performance that is required both to entertain and to excel."

The former Chelsea boss held two rounds of talks with Albion earlier this month over the possibility of succeeding new England manager Roy Hodgson at The Hawthorns.

He has most recently been employed in his homeland, with spells at Parma, Juventus and Roma before an ill-fated stint at Inter Milan ended in dismissal in March.

Ranieri will be presented at a press conference at 1700 local time (1600 BST) tomorrow alongside general director Filips Dhondt and sporting director Tor-Kristian Karlsen at the Stade Louis II.

PA