Udinese: Decision Reached on Kosta Runjaic

The sixth consecutive Serie A loss, which came Sunday evening in the late match of Matchday 8 against Milan, has not changed the attitude of Udinese’s top brass toward coach Kosta Runjaic.

The Bianconeri club has let ANSA know that the organization has full confidence in the German coach, convinced that he will find the solutions to pull the Friuli-based team out of the crisis that has been plaguing them for some time.

This confidence in the coach is not temporary: Gino Pozzo’s plan is reportedly to keep Runjaic on through June, when his contract expires, and avoid a mid-season change. The next two matches will be decisive, however: Udinese is scheduled to face Parma in a relegation battle at the Tardini on Wednesday, while on Saturday the Bianconeri will host Roma at home.

The club has already made some exploratory inquiries with potential replacements, though it has not yet entered into any formal negotiations. Udinese currently sits in fourth-to-last place in the standings with 4 points.

Among the names circulating for a potential post-Runjaic era are Igor Tudor, Paolo Zanetti, and Roberto D’Aversa. The dream candidate would be Thiago Motta, who emerged this week as a surprise contender: the former Juventus coach, whose tenure with the Bianconeri ended in March 2025 following an excellent run at Bologna, is reportedly among the candidates being considered, though it remains to be seen whether the financial and strategic conditions for a deal are in place. Zanetti and D’Aversa, on the other hand, had been linked to Venezia (which ultimately chose Davide Nicola) and Parma (which opted for Alberto Gilardino), respectively.