Local Premier League club Pieta Hotspurs yesterday announced that Italian Davide Vittorio will be coaching their side the coming season, replacing Bulgarian Georgi Deanov.

The Hotspurs avoided relegation in the final matches after having been forced to play in the Relegation Pool the past season.

Addressing a news conference at the club yesterday morning, vice-president Joe Sammut said the appointment of Vittorio was a continuation of the club’s youth policy. “We know he has been successful in youth football and we are sure that he will be enhancing our policy of introducing more youths to Maltese football,” he said.

Sammut added that his assistant will be Alfred Cutajar, who is now in his seventh year at Pieta.

Training will start on 5 July and all the players, including those who were on loan with other clubs the past season, will be called to form part of the squad.

He also confirmed that Martin Deanov, on the wanted list of some of the local top clubs, will be staying at the club. “He forms part of our plans as will Bulgarian Kondev and new foreigner Angelo Tasca, from Italy. The team will be built around them and we hope to be successful in our aims and targets this season,” said Sammut.

Vittorio said he was glad to be in Malta where he can express his work with youths. “I have worked in Tuscany for 10 years, coaching clubs like Pontedera, Lancianese and Aglianese in Serie D. I am also coach of the Tuscany national side and I am proud to say that there are several players in Serie B today who, at one time or another, were under my care,” he said.

The Italian, 40 years old, also worked in the youth sector of Catania Calcio, recently promoted to the Serie A the past season. He added: “I am looking forward to my stay in Malta with great optimism. I will be seeking to be successful. I cannot say we will be fighting for the top places, but we will be doing our best to finish among the top six.”

Alfio Sanfilippo, who was responsible for bringing Vittorio over to Malta with Pieta, said he was convinced that the Italian coach will do a magnificent job at Pieta. “Youths need a lot of patience and need to be educated. Vittorio has all the ingredients to turn them into good footballers,” he said.