Sarri's departure from Lazio had been building for months.
His relationship with club president Claudio Lotito had deteriorated steadily throughout the season, with the 67-year-old openly frustrated by a lack of clarity over the club's transfer strategy, an ongoing ultras protest and player sales he had not sanctioned. Sarri retains a contract at Lazio until 2028 but is expected to terminate it by mutual consent this week.
His replacement at the Stadio Olimpico is Gattuso, 48, who has been out of management since resigning as Italy head coach following the Azzurri's failure to qualify for the World Cup β their third successive absence from the tournament. Gattuso has signed a two-year deal with Lazio.
The former AC Milan and Napoli midfielder previously managed Milan, Napoli, Marseille and the Italian national team. His only major trophy in management came in 2019-20 when he led Napoli to the Coppa Italia title in the first competitive matches played after the Covid-19 stoppage.
At Atalanta, Sarri succeeds Raffaele Palladino, who had himself taken over from Ivan JuriΔ when JuriΔ was dismissed in November after a poor start to the season. Sarri's deal at the Bergamo club is understood to be a two-year contract with an option for a third year, at wages of around β¬3 million per season plus bonuses.
The appointments complete a busy 24 hours in Italian football, with Antonio Conte also confirming his resignation from Napoli β where he had led the club to second place in Serie A this season, a year after winning the title β on Sunday, and AC Milan sacking Massimiliano Allegri and their entire senior board following the club's failure to qualify for the Champions League.
The merry-go-round has only just started turning.