ronaldo shirt kids The former Italy international hasn’t done anything quite so radical at Spezia but Pecini is full of praise for the way in which the coach has managed to focus on his job after a turbulent start to this tenure which saw the club hit with a transfer ban 11 days after Motta’s appointment.

“Even when he arrived, he did around 20 days of quarantine, without friendlies or training, so it was difficult for him,” Pecini admits.

“But he managed to concentrate solely on his work and not on all of the problems that we had. So, I think he’s happy here. And we’re getting on well.

“When we were looking for a new coach, we tried to analyse those candidates that could be compatible with the philosophy of the owners’ project, with my ideas of football, and, above all else, trying to find a coach capable of implementing a style of play that fit with the culture of Spezia. That was the most important thing for us.

“We analysed some profiles and we watched many games of the two or three coaches that we, let’s say, focused on. In the end, Thiago, was the one that met all of our criteria.

“We had four or five meetings with him and, eventually, we decided that this could be the right project for everyone concerned.”

Motta definitely fits with Spezia’s youthful profile.

With the transfer ban set to come into effect in cheap football shirts replica January 2022, Pecini was very active during the summer, bringing in a number of players on loan.