Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola has been sacked by Cagliari after just 10 matches in charge of the struggling Serie A club.
Zola took over on Christmas Eve but has won just two of his 10 league games, drawing another two, and was also dumped out of the Coppa Italia by struggling Parma.
Cagliari are18th in the table, four points away from safety. Zdenek Zeman, who was in charge of the team earlier this season and is still being paid by the club, is likely to take charge until a permanent manager is found.
Claudio Ranieri, Walter Zenga and Delio Rossi have been mentioned as possible replacements.
A statement by the club read: “The decision was made reluctantly against a great man who wrote unforgettable pages in the history of Cagliari, giving lustre and international prestige to the land of Sardinia.
“He and his staff go with the thanks for the work done in recent months with dedication, professionalism and passion, and the heartfelt good luck for the rest of his career.”
Zola, one of Chelsea's best ever players, spent two seasons at Cagliari at the end of his career, helping the club get promoted to Serie A and then secure a mid-table finish in the top flight before retiring.
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