SASSUOLO, Italy (AP) — Sassuolo hired Roberto D’Aversa as coach on Tuesday, the day after firing Alberto Aquilani.

The Serie A club announced that D’Aversa had been given a contract until the end of the season, with the 51-year-old taking immediate charge of training.

His first match will be at home to Genoa on Nov. 22, after the international break.

Aquilani was appointed in June for his first Serie A coaching job, but Sassuolo has taken one point from its past seven matches and Sunday’s 3-0 defeat at Roma left it one point above the relegation zone.

D’Aversa is no stranger to relegation battles. His last job was at Torino, where he was appointed in February and turned the team’s season around – saving it from the drop.

However, D’Aversa also experienced relegation at Empoli and Parma. He had previously overseen back-to-back promotions with Parma from the third tier of Italian soccer to the top flight.

D’Aversa was also infamously fired by Lecce in March 2024 after headbutting a player, for which he was also handed a four-match ban by Serie A.

It is the sixth coaching change in Serie A this season after shakeups at Udinese, Venezia, Fiorentina, Bologna and Parma.