Torino appoint Petrachi as Vagnati departs after five years

Torino have ended a five-year era under Davide Vagnati, a period marked by limited impact, sporadic flashes of promise, and missed opportunities. The club often hovered in mid-table obscurity, occasionally flirting with relegation.

Vagnati’s tenure featured questionable moves, such as the Bonifazi transfer during his time at SPAL, a deal that cost 12 million euros and caused headaches for his former club.

Presiding over a “could but won’t” or “want but can’t” approach, Vagnati left Torino with few lasting legacies. President Urbano Cairo, belatedly recognising the need for change, orchestrated a quiet handover.

Petrachi, who had rebuilt his relationship with Vagnati through recent meetings in Milan, was identified as the ideal candidate to reverse Torino’s fortunes. His record speaks for itself: major pluses like Bremer, discoveries such as Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, and the development of forwards including Ciro Immobile.

Petrachi’s return, set to be officially announced in the coming hours, signals a clear shift in strategy ahead of January. Remarkably, Vagnati participated in a recent market meeting, unaware that the change had already been decided.

The former technical director’s tenure will now be remembered as a prolonged period of stagnation in the club’s proud history, a void that all but a few commentators failed to notice amid years of deferential coverage.