Serie A club Sassuolo has hired well-traveled Alberto Malesani as its new coach a day after firing Eusebio Di Francesco.

The switch comes with Sassuolo third from bottom and in danger of relegation after its debut season in the top Italian division.

The 59-year-old Malesani has formerly coached Chievo Verona, Fiorentina, Parma, Hellas Verona, Modena, Panathinaikos, Udinese, Empoli, Siena, Bologna, Genoa and Palermo.

While Sassuolo has had some spectacular matches - like a 4-3 win over  Milan, when 19-year-old forward Domenico Berardi scored four goals; and a 1-1 draw at Napoli, consecutive losses to Torino and Livorno proved costly for the club.

Sassuolo reportedly wanted to hire former Serie A standouts Ciro Ferrara or Filippo Inzaghi but both rejected offers.