The heavy 4-1 home defeat against Fiorentina proved fatal for Nicola.Cremonese are scrambling to turn things around: they sit three points clear of Lecce, who are fourth from bottom, with nine matches remaining in the season. With Davide Nicola’s tenure now over, Marco Giampaolo has emerged as the frontrunner to replace him and try to rescue the Grigiorossi from their crisis, having picked up just two points in the second half of the season.  "The final details are being ironed out ahead of Giampaolo’s signing as the new manager: a verbal agreement has been reached for an 18-month contract," reports Sky Sport. It is not, therefore, a short-term deal, but one that will run until the end of 2027, even in the event of relegation. All that remains now is the official announcement. Giampaolo managed to secure Lecce’s survival in the 2024/25 season, doing so in spectacular fashion with a crucial 1-0 victory away at Lazio on the final day of the season, courtesy of a goal from Coulibaly, a result that saw Di Francesco’s Venezia side relegated. That same Di Francesco now manages Lecce, and Giampaolo will be competing against him to keep his side in Serie A.U.S. Cremonese announces that Mr Davide Nicola has been relieved of his duties as head coach of the first team. The Grigiorosso club would like to thank the manager and his staff for the professionalism, commitment and dedication they have shown in their daily work since their arrival in Cremona.Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting