Salernitana confirm the return of Nicola as head coach

Salernitana have confirmed the rehiring of Davide Nicola as head coach just two days after sacking him, with president Danilo Iervolino saying "you never know how much you will miss someone".

The Serie A side dismissed Nicola on Monday after a heavy 8-2 loss to Atalanta the previous day that leaves them a lowly 16th, albeit still nine points clear of the relegation zone.

But Nicola, who worked wonders to keep Salernitana in the Italian top flight last season, revealed on Wednesday he had got his job back following an emotional plea to Iervolino.

That news was confirmed at a press conference later in the day in which Iervolino explained the club's decision to reappoint Nicola, despite having already reportedly held talks with the likes of Rafael Benitez and Roberto D'Aversa.

"I felt compelled to change things after the Atalanta defeat. In that instance, you can only do one thing: review the project and change the coach," Iervolino told reporters.

"Despite what has been written, we found many other interested coaches. There are many coaches, hundreds across the globe, who have offered themselves to Salernitana.

"But [Nicola] and I communicated through [sporting director Morgan] De Sanctis, who spoke highly of him. Nicola wanted to get straight back to work. He admitted to his mistakes and how much he loves this city.

"If you don't lose someone, you never know how much you will miss them. His words struck me. I would have missed him. I thought about it a lot, knowing we had replacements, but this was for the good of Salernitana.

"Now he has another chance with us. With this commitment, he can carry the team forward and make sure we don't again suffer the type of discomfort like on Sunday afternoon [against Atalanta]."

Salernitana have taken just two points from their past six games and host league leaders Napoli in their next match on Saturday, before facing Lecce and Juventus.

"The good news is that after the game with Juventus, we ought to have a slightly calmer fixture list," Iervolino added. "But I still hope to get points over the next three games, too. 

"Our absolute minimum target is to remain in Serie A; the second is to play good football and get the best out of young players and at the same time climb the table."