This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Internazionale appointed Stefano Pioli on Tuesday as their ninth coach in the past six years, his first managerial role with one of Italy’s top three clubs.

The 51-year-old, who has coached 10 clubs in Italy’s top two divisions without winning a major trophy, replaced the Dutchman Frank de Boer who was dismissed last week after 85 days and 14 games in charge.

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Inter, enduring their fifth consecutive season without Champions League football, confirmed the appointment in a statement. “Internazionale is delighted to confirm that terms have been agreed with Stefano Pioli to become Inter’s new head coach until June 30, 2018,” the club said.

Pioli led Lazio to third place in Serie A in 2014-15 but was less successful last season and was sacked in April after an embarrassing 4-1 defeat by neighbours Roma.

Inter, Milan and Juventus are considered to be Italy’s biggest three clubs, although neither of the Milan sides has won a Serie A title since 2011.

A central defender in his playing days, Pioli’s first job as a coach was with the Serie B side Salernitana in 2003. He moved to Modena, another second-tier side the following year, and got his first chance in the top flight with Parma in 2006. He was dismissed after six months with the team one place off the bottom and went back to Serie B where he coached Grosseto, Piacenza and Sassuolo.

Chievo brought him back to Serie A in 2010 and he moved to Palermo the following year but lasted only 90 days at the notoriously volatile club. Next stop was Bologna and he kept them in Serie A during two difficult seasons before moving to Lazio.

Inter won the Champions League, Serie A and Coppa Italia treble under José Mourinho in 2010 but have not been able to recapture that sort of form, often languishing in mid-table.

The Chinese electronics retailer Suning Commerce Group bought nearly 70% of Inter for €270m (£225m at the time) in June, less than three years after the club had been sold to a consortium led by the Indonesian businessman Erick Thohir.

The club were once owned by Massimo Moratti, whose family control the Italian oil refiner Saras, from 1995 to 2013.