AC Milan have appointed Stefano Pioli as their new coach, the Serie A club said on Wednesday, handing him a two-year contract in the hope he will turn around the fortunes of the seven-times European champions.

Milan sacked their previous coach, Marco Giampaolo, on Tuesday after the team lost four of their first seven Serie A games of the season to sit 13th — 10 points off leaders Juventus.

Pioli has coached several Serie A teams including Lazio, who he led to a third-place finish and the Coppa Italia final in the 2014-15 season, and Inter Milan.

His last job was at Fiorentina, where he was credited with keeping the team together after the sudden death of captain Davide Astori in March 2018 threatened to derail their campaign, eventually finishing eighth.