Salernitana have rewarded coach Davide Nicola with a two-year contract on Friday after he orchestrated the club’s last-gasp Serie A survival.”Salernitana are happy to announce having agreed with the coach and his assistants a two-year contract,” the club from Salerno, south of Naples, announced.Saturday, 21.45: (3.00) Italy (3.30) Germany (2.55)The 49-year-old coach arrived in mid-February when the club were sitting bottom of the league, guiding them to survival by just one point. Salernitana reached the top flight in 2021 for the third time in their history. They will play a second consecutive season in Serie A for the first time after suffering immediate relegations during their two previous top-flight stints in 1948 and 1999. The charismatic coach is arguably the biggest star in the city of Salerno these days. His goal is to make Granata Serie A regulars rather than visitors.”The club has the idea of growing, with less drama. The goal is continuity, but you can’t have everything immediately. There is the desire to make this a stable club over time. The city deserves it”.🇱🇻 DAVIDE NICOLA RINNOVA CON L’U.S. SALERNITANA 1919 🇱🇻L’U.S. Salernitana 1919 è lieta di comunicare di aver rinnovato con un contratto biennale il mister Davide Nicola e il suo staff 👉 https://t.co/BNOHqrx22I #lastoriAcontinuA #macteanimo #forzagranata pic.twitter.com/6OFsp65FYH— US Salernitana 1919 (@OfficialUSS1919) June 3, 2022 Towards the end of the season, Nicola promised to walk 280 kilometres from Salerno to Rome and see the Pope if he kept the team in Serie A. But despite securing survival, he won’t make that journey.”It was just a joke with a fan, I wasn’t being serious! This season was so beautiful that I don’t want to turn it into a joke nor bother the Holy Father. My pilgrimage was the path to Serie A safety.”The club’s survival also ensured the automatic extension of 39-year-old former France star Franck Ribery’s contract after he joined a year ago.
