Bologna Transfer Market: Tedesco’s Future Hanging in the Balance—A Surprising Return to the Bench Is Being Considered

Bologna’s 2026–2027 season certainly didn’t get off to the best start; in its first four league games, the team earned just one point, drawing 2-2 against Sassuolo (Dovbyk’s goal in the 91st minute proved decisive) and losing the other three matches 1-0 to Lazio, Atalanta, and Napoli. Inevitably, Domenico Tedesco is under the microscope and now faces a true test of his mettle in Saturday’s 3:00 p.m. match against Torino.

The shadow of a possible, surprising return already looms over the former Fenerbahçe coach: among the names circulating in recent hours is that of Stefano Pioli, who coached the youth teams in Bologna from 1999 to 2002 and the first team from October 2011 to January 2014. The Parma-born coach is eager for redemption: his most recent stints after leaving Milan—at Al-Nassr and Fiorentina—did not leave him with fond memories.

A more challenging option—though nothing is ever truly set in stone in the transfer market—is the scenario involving another former Bologna coach, Thiago Motta. Out of work since March 2025, when he was fired by Juventus, the Italian-Brazilian is no longer tied to the Bianconeri, who activated the contract termination clause this summer, but he has made no secret of the fact that he is looking for a project to build from the ground up, not one to take over midseason.

Bologna had turned to Domenico Tedesco following the departure of Vincenzo Italiano, the coach for the past two seasons who went on to join Besiktas in Turkey. The coach, who was born in Calabria but grew up in Germany, in Aichwald, had been chosen because his tactical approach was similar to that of his predecessor, but the poor results at the start of this season could cause the Rossoblù to definitively change their minds. After years at the “top level”—including participation in the Champions League and a Coppa Italia victory—they are now grappling with a prolonged slump.