Who is Paolo Bianco? Everything we know about ex-Juventus man among favourites for Huddersfield Town job

When Darren Moore was axed as Huddersfield’s manager, fans could probably have predicted which names would begin circulating as potential successors were discussed.

Former Barnsley boss Michael Duff sits top of the BetVictor pile, having been dismissed by Swansea City. Following closely behind are John Eustace and Paul Heckingbottom, two managers who would arguably be sensible choices for the Terriers.

However, sitting as fourth favourite as an outside contender at 16/1 is something of an unknown quantity in Paolo Bianco. As he has never managed in England, knowledge of Bianco among the John Smith’s Stadium faithful is most likely quite limited.

Here is everything we know about Bianco, the man who sits above the likes of Gary Rowett and Alex Neil in the favourites list.

Playing career

A well-travelled defender in his playing days, Bianco spent the entirety of his career in his native Italy. After cutting his teeth with Foggia, he went on to represent the likes of Catania and Atalanta before ending his career with a five-year stay at Sassuolo.

He never established himself at international level for Italy but did feature for the Azzurri under-21s.

Managerial career

Having ended his playing career at Sassuolo, he took his first coaching steps with their youth system before moving up the food chain to assist with first-team affairs. He later led Siracusa and Leonzio before a spell working with Robert De Zerbi back at Sassoulo.

The 46-year-old followed De Zerbi to Shakhtar Donetsk before going on to work for Juventus as a technical collaborator.

He eventually returned to management with Serie B outfit Modena last year, taking the reins in June 2023 and penning a two-year deal. He has led Modena to ninth place in the Serie B table, overseeing eight wins and eight draws across 23 games.

Coaching style

As a defender himself, Bianco focused on defensive work at Shakhtar Donetsk. Speaking to the club’s official website during his time there, he said: “I look more closely at the defensive phase. I watch every defender’s individual performance.”