Palermo names Walter Novellino its 7th manager this season

The coaching carousel at Palermo keeps on spinning, as the club on Thursday announced the hiring of Walter Novellino.

Novellino - who has bossed fellow Serie A sides Napoli, Sampdoria, and Torino - was present at training on Thursday, according to a statement on the club's website.

Formerly a midfielder for the likes of AC Milan and Perugia, Novellino becomes the Rosanero's seventh manager this season after Beppe Iachini walked away from the Sicilian club earlier in the week. It was Iachini's third spell managing Palermo this season.

"I no longer agreed on the project with Zamparini," Iachini told reporters. "I've got my dignity as a man and as a professional. The criticism in these recent days has been over the top. Zamparini has known me for two-and-a-half years so it's strange that he's not worked out the way I play.

"That's why I've left. It was painful to argue and fight with a 75-year-old, so I chose to break down all communication. I just hope Palermo do not go down, both for the players and for the fans."

Palermo's mercurial president, Maurizio Zamparini, is no stranger to Novellino, after he named the once-capped Italian international the manager of Venezia in 1997, before firing him two years later.

The Sicilians currently sit 17th in the table, perilously close to relegation with a one-point cushion over Frosinone with 10 matches to play.