Vulcano, the Italian assistant manager finding success at Sunderland after Pioli

Sunderland are fourth in the Premier League and part of that success is down to Italian Luciano Vulcano, former assistant manager to Stefano Pioli at AC Milan.

The Black Cats have been a huge surprise so far this season, amassing five wins, two draws and two defeats to sit in the Champions League spots.

They are ahead of the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United, and reigning champions Liverpool, having beaten Chelsea 2-1.

La Gazzetta dello Sport note that there is some Italian influence, as the assistant manager to Regis Le Bris is 37-year-old Vulcano.

He took the job after several years working with Pioli, starting as a match analyst with him at Inter and Fiorentina, until being promoted to the coaching staff at Milan from 2019 to 2024.

Vulcano started out as the coach of a Varese youth team for five years, working as a match analyst for various different bosses, including Roberto Mancini and Frank De Boer at Inter, which is where he met Pioli.

That working relationship lasted for eight years, following him to Fiorentina, Milan and Al-Nassr, before deciding to accept the approach from Sunderland, who it is reported had already tried to poach him last year.

During all of that, Vulcano studied for his UEFA A and UEFA Pro coaching badges, receiving the honour of being named the top student that year at the Coverciano school.

It suggests that he might not be only an assistant manager for very long.