What next for sacked Sevilla boss Vincenzo Montella?

Getting the sack is an indignity suffered by many managers throughout the course of a season.

Some may decide to take a short break from their line of work while others seek for a fresh challenge elsewhere. Only a select few can claim to have been dismissed twice by two different clubs not only in the space of one season but within six months.

Vincenzo Montella has now joined that select grouping.

The Italian was dismissed by Milan at the end of November after a hopelessly underwhelming opening few months of the campaign but within five weeks swapped Italy for Spain and Milan for Seville. He replaced the sacked Eduardo Berizzo in the Sevilla hot-seat, inheriting a side who sat 5th in La Liga and who remained in both the Champions League and the Copa del Rey.

His stay in Andalusia has proved short and not particularly sweet. His first match in the dugout in La Liga was a 5-3 defeat at home to city rivals Real Betis, who had never before scored five goals at their closest rivals and who had not tasted victory in the derby in four years. It was to prove a rather ominous sign of things to come.

Spare a thought for Vincenzo Montella.

He’s been sacked for the second time in one season.

https://t.co/ukskpCPCJd pic.twitter.com/Y9oXKGnZjg

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) April 28, 2018

In total, Montella took charge of 28 matches as Sevilla manager, winning 11, losing 10 and drawing seven. The majority of those victories were in the cup competitions including a historic victory over Manchester United - in which Los Rojiblancos qualified for their first Champions League quarter-final since 1958 - before being eliminated in a respectable 2-1 aggregate defeat to Bayern Munich.

There was also a strong run to the Copa del Rey final - including beating Atletico Madrid at home and away - before a 5-0 capitulation to Barcelona in the showpiece last month. The final straw was Friday night’s 2-1 loss at Levante, who secured their top-flight status and moved to within eight points of Sevilla - now in 8th - in doing so.

Montella has already amassed over 300 matches as a manager including previous spells at the helm of Roma, Catania, Fiorentina and Sampdoria. The Aeroplanino led Sicilian club Catania to a top-half finish in Serie A in 2012 to bring himself to the attention of leading clubs within the league. Subsequently, his three seasons at the helm of Fiorentina brought a win percentage north of 50 but he struggled to replicate the steady progress and success at either Sampdoria or Milan.

His reputation has been damaged in Spain due to his recent struggles at Sevilla and it feels natural that he will head back to Italy. Despite his dismissal from Milan, he may still represent an attractive option to lower-half Serie A clubs who could look to the jobs he did at Catania and Fiorentina, with those respective clubs punching above their weight.

A move abroad could again tempt the former striker, whose playing career included a brief loan stint in West London with Fulham. There may be a number of vacancies opening across the top tier of English football over the coming months and his representatives have already landed him a number of lucrative jobs in Italy before Sevilla.

It is unlikely Montella would be in the frame for any clubs at a European level, despite his relative success in the competition this time around. It is easy to forget that at just 43, he is a relatively young tactician and already has an impressive list of clubs on his CV. He will be keen to bounce back from his harrowing spell in Spain.

 @Millar_Colin looks at 4 names in the frame to replace Vincenzo Montella at Sevilla:

- Joaquin Caparros

- Unai Emery

- Luis Enrique

- Javi Gracia

 https://t.co/FbP6YHJUa3 pic.twitter.com/2UraJhxNLE

— The Sack Race (@thesackrace) May 1, 2018