Juventus sacks coach Thiago Motta

Where there is smoke there is most probably a fire on the way, and so it has proved for Thiago Motta after Juventus announced his exit Sunday.

The 42 year old Motta has been shown the door by the Turin club, they said in a statement Sunday. This follows rumours of his impending exit being shared on social media by well known sources.

"Juventus FC announce that Thiago Motta has been relieved of his duties as Men’s First Team coach," a statement from Juve read Sunday.

"The club would like to thank Thiago Motta and all of his staff for their professionalism and for the work they have carried out in recent months with passion and dedication. The club wishes them the best of luck for the future," it added.

In a quick rejoinder, Juve announced Motta's replacement as Igor Tudor, a fan favourite during his playing days with Juve. Tudor won two league titles with Juve and also featured 174 times for the club.

He joins initially until the end of the season with a possibility of extension.

"Juventus FC also announce that the Men’s First Team will now be led by Igor Tudor, who will take charge of his first training session tomorrow, Monday, 24 March," the statement continued.

Motta, who played for Italy and Juve's Serie A rivals Inter Milan as a midfielder, signed a three-year deal until June 2027 just last summer, replacing Massimiliano Allegri.

Motta oversaw Bologna's qualification for the Champions League last season, finishing fifth in the table, thus earning the move but it has been a disaster since.

Motta has been removed from his position after losing just three of his 29 Serie A games.

However, the same sequence has carried 13 draws.

Furthermore, Juventus were recently dumped out of the Champions League in the playoff stage by PSV Eindhoven, while they also lost 4-0 and 3-0 to Atalanta BC and Fiorentina respectively prior to the international break.

They are currently fifth in Serie A with 52 points, while leaders Inter have 64 with just nine matches left to play.