Coach appointed: Nicola at Venezia, Arrasate back at Osasuna, Valenciennes change

Coach appointed, coach sacked: a busy week of coaching changes in European football saw Venezia name Davide Nicola as head coach on 14 October 2026, a day after dismissing Giovanni Stroppa, while Osasuna brought back Jagoba Arrasate on 12 October. In France, third-tier Valenciennes relieved Pierre Blois of his duties despite a 13-0 cup win, and Lorient tied young striker Mamadou Kone to a new contract until 2030. All four moves have been officially announced by the clubs concerned.

Venezia: Stroppa out, Davide Nicola appointed

Venezia relieved Giovanni Stroppa of his duties as first-team head coach on 13 October 2026, the day after a defeat away to Atalanta. The newly promoted side had no points after six Serie A matches and were bottom of the table, and reports counted seven consecutive defeats across Serie A and the Coppa Italia. In its statement, the club thanked Stroppa and his staff and recalled that he had led Venezia to promotion to Serie A in 2025-26.

The replacement came quickly. Gianluca Di Marzio first reported that Venezia had chosen Nicola, after Paolo Zanetti had earlier been reported as a candidate, and on 14 October the club made it official: Nicola signed a contract until the end of the 2027-28 season. His staff includes Manuele Cacicia, Gabriele Stoppino and goalkeeping coach Lorenzo Squizzi.

Nicola said he chose Venezia because of the club's long-term vision, credited director Antonelli, and set survival as the objective. His first match in charge was scheduled against Napoli on Saturday 17 October, a demanding start for any new coach.

A specialist in survival

The choice makes sense in Italian football terms. Nicola is known for relegation escapes, most famously with Crotone in 2016-17, and later with Torino, Salernitana and Empoli; he most recently coached Cremonese. According to OneFootball, Stroppa was the fifth Serie A coach to lose his job this season, after changes involving Fabio Grosso, Domenico Tedesco at Bologna and Carlos Cuesta at Parma. Yalla Shoot's table data shows the scale of the task: Venezia have scored five and conceded 16 in their six league games.

Osasuna: Ramis leaves, Jagoba Arrasate returns

Osasuna announced on 12 October 2026 that Luis Miguel Ramis would no longer be first-team head coach. The board took the decision on Monday morning, with the backing of the sporting management. Ramis's staff, José Manuel Gil, Iván Madroño, Miguel Ángel Fernández and José Fajardo, also left the club. Osasuna were 16th in LaLiga at the time.

On the same day the club announced the return of Jagoba Arrasate on a contract until 30 June 2029, covering the rest of this season and two more, with assistant Bittor Alkiza also coming back. Arrasate said he feels Osasuna need him and that he can help. He was due to be presented on 13 October and to lead his first training session on 14 October.

Arrasate's record in Pamplona

The appointment is a return to familiar ground. In his first spell from 2018, Arrasate won the Segunda División title and promotion, kept Osasuna in the top flight for five seasons, reached the 2022-23 Copa del Rey final and qualified for the Conference League. He managed 256 matches for the club, the second-highest total in its history, before coaching Mallorca for 68 matches. He has also coached Real Sociedad and Numancia.

According to Yalla Shoot's La Liga table, Osasuna are 16th with eight points from eight games (two wins, two draws, four defeats), having scored eight and conceded 18. Ante Budimir has six of those league goals, three of them penalties, so tightening a leaky defence looks like Arrasate's first job. Valencia were the first LaLiga club to change coach this season, appointing Javier Aguirre in September.

Valenciennes sack Pierre Blois after 13-0 cup win

The most unusual story of the week came from France. Third-tier club Valenciennes relieved head coach Pierre Blois of his first-team duties with effect from Monday 12 October 2026, according to Goal. The decision came only days after Valenciennes beat Hapark 13-0 in the fifth round of the Coupe de France to reach the sixth-round draw. The Coupe de France is open to amateur and professional clubs, which often produces lopsided scores in the early rounds.

League form was the real issue. After nine games Valenciennes were 15th with eight points, from two wins, two draws and five defeats, having scored nine and conceded 14. Samuel Goethals takes over on an interim basis, assisted by Rudy Matier. Valenciennes, who play at the Stade du Hainaut in northern France, previously spent many seasons in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2.

Lorient extend Mamadou Kone until 2030

Not every announcement was a departure. Lorient announced on 15 October 2026 a contract extension for forward Mamadou Kone that keeps him at the club until June 2030. Kone, 19, joined Lorient from Mali's Africa Foot Academy in September 2025. Last season he scored nine goals in 24 National 1 appearances for the club's reserve side before breaking into the senior squad.

This season he has made six Ligue 1 appearances and scored the winner in a 1-0 victory over Lens. Lorient sit eighth in Yalla Shoot's Ligue 1 table with eight points from six games. The Brittany club, based at the Stade du Moustoir, has a history of developing young attacking players before selling them on, and Malian academies have supplied a growing number of players to French clubs in recent years.

Coaching changes at a glance

What's next

Nicola's Venezia face Napoli on 17 October looking for their first point of the season, while Arrasate begins his second spell trying to lift Osasuna away from the bottom three. Valenciennes will look for a reaction in the league under Goethals ahead of the Coupe de France sixth round, and Kone will hope to add to his Ligue 1 minutes. Every result will be on Yalla Shoot as it happens.