Sky Italia report that Sampdoria see Vincenzo Montella as a possible successor to Walter Zenga, whose future at the helm in Genoa is said to be up in the air. 

This comes following the side's dismal 4-0 home defeat to Serbian minnows Vojvodina in the qualifying stages of the Uefa Europa League. The Genoese side faced an uphill battle to claw themselves back into the tie and should they fail to do so, Zenga could be relived of his duties as head coach only two months after his appointment. 

Montella was sacked as Fiorentina coach at the end of last season after a disagreement with the hierarchy over the direction of the Florence club. 

Cesare Prandelli and Roberto Donadoni have also been linked as successors. 

An impressive spell in Florence

Montella spent three years at Fiorentina and steered the club to three successive fourth place finishes. In his final year, he masterminded a memorable journey to the last four of the Uefa Europa League, but was beating over the two legs by eventual victors Sevilla

The Florence side were in the doldrums before his arrival -- they finished in a harrowing 13th place the season before he was appointed -- and it came as quite the surprise when the club confirmed his dismissal. 

Montella, who netted 58 times in total for the Blucerchiati during his playing days, believed that further investment was required for him to take the club to the next level, but the people upstairs felt differently. 

Was Zenga a slapdash appointment?

Many harboured doubts over the Italian's appointment given that he was canned after 13 games in charge of Palermo during his last spell in Italy. Zenga has since spent five years in the middle-east and faced a tricky task attempting to build on the foundations laid by his predecessor Sinisa Mihajlovic

The Italian has oversaw key departures in Samuel Eto'o, Alessio Romagnoli and Stefano Okaka upon his arrival, and was forced to deactivate his Twitter account after Thursday evening's defeat. 

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Craig Vickers
Milk, honey and Andy Murray. Email: craigvickers1998[at]outlook.com