Paolo Maldini has made Italy's coaching search unusually clear. Italy spoke to Carlo Ancelotti before opening talks with Pep Guardiola, and the FIGC would rather wait for the right man than rush an appointment. Maldini said it would be ideal to have a coach by the end of the week, but that finding the person they really want comes first.

Maldini's order of calls

Maldini did not dress it up. Speaking to goal.com, he said: "Honestly, today we can't give news about what's happening. You've identified one of our targets." He added on BBC Sport that Italy "also spoke to Carlo before talking to Pep" and had started with those they considered "the best in the world".

That sequence matters more than any noisy shortlist talk. It tells you Italy are not casting widely for a compromise appointment, they are going straight at elite names and trying to work down from there.

Maldini's own standing gives the process some weight too. Pablo Maldini has 126 Italy caps, so this is not a federation figure speaking casually from the sidelines. He is part of the room that is shaping the decision.

The wait around Guardiola and Ancelotti

The patience line is doing real work here. On Football Italia, Maldini said: "The ideal would be to have the coach by the end of this week, but perhaps even more ideal would be to wait for the person we really want."

That is the more revealing sentence in the story. It shows a federation trying to keep timing flexible rather than forcing closure for the sake of looking active.

The bigger names come with obvious complications. The Independent reported Guardiola was seeking 20 million euros (£17 million) a year, about double Italy's offer, while also wanting more time in Barcelona with his family. At the same time, BBC Sport and Goal both pointed to Ancelotti as a serious target, while other reporting has tied him to Brazil through 2030.

So the picture is simple enough: Italy want a top-level coach, they have already worked through Ancelotti before Guardiola, and they are still prepared to wait if that is what it takes. That is a tougher sales job than just naming a favourite, but it is also a more serious way to handle a major appointment.

The next update will come from the federation, not from the rumour mill, and Maldini has already said they cannot give much away right now.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →