Just two days after Italian media placed Gianlorenzo Blengini at the center of a major coaching puzzle, one of the most important pieces of information has already received official confirmation.
Blengini will return to club volleyball.
The Bulgarian Volleyball Federation announced that the contract of the Italian specialist as head coach of the men's national team has been extended until 2028 (this was announced at the beginning of the season by Lyubomir Ganev, it is probably about signing an annex, given the new circumstances - editor's note). However, the even more important news is different – the BFV has respected Kiko Blengini's wish to work at club level again.
After completing his commitments with Bulgaria in 2026, he will take over a club team in his homeland, Italy.
It is precisely here that the official announcement of the BFV intersects with the information from Italy. As we already wrote two days ago, according to the specialized publicationVolleyball.itwomen's Milano has targeted Blengini as a possible successor to Stefano Lavarini.
In the initial information, the most serious question mark surrounding Blengini's potential move to Milano was the position of the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation.
The Italian had two more seasons left on his contract with Bulgaria, and the previous terms did not foresee him combining his work with the national team with a club commitment.
Exactly this obstacle no longer exists.
The BFV officially announced that it has given its consent for Blengini to return to club volleyball and combine the two commitments.
"After three years of workload only during the summer season, a coach of Blengini's class and active age needs to return to the dynamics of top-level club championships and tournaments. We highly appreciate his work so far and believe that for the second phase of our contract, it is possible to combine the two commitments," said BFV President Lyubomir Ganev.
The federation did not announce the name of Blengini's future club. It has only been confirmed that he will work in Italy.
And this is exactly where the information from Italy becomes even more interesting.
Two days agoVolleyball.itpointed to Blengini as an option for Milano in case of a possible separation with Stefano Lavarini.
The scenario is related to the coaching reshuffle around Fenerbahçe. The Turkish giant is showing serious interest in Lavarini, while the future of the team's current coach, Marcello Abbondanza – head coach of the Bulgarian women's national team – is the other important part of the complex puzzle.
In the event of Lavarini's move to Fenerbahçe, Milano will have to appoint a new coach, and according to information from Italy, Blengini is among the main names for the position.
Two days ago, such a development seemed like a transfer scenario with several unknowns. Today, one of the biggest has already been eliminated – the BFV gave Blengini the green light to take over a club in Italy.
If the Italian information is fully confirmed and Blengini indeed takes over Milan, this will be a new chapter in his career.
For the first time, he will be the head coach of a women's team.
And not just any team.
Milan is among the leading clubs in Italian and European women's volleyball, and the big star in the squad is one of the most recognizable volleyball players in the world – Paola Egonu.
Thus, Blengini would find himself in an extremely curious situation – working with the Bulgarian men's national team in the summer, and leading one of the most ambitious women's projects in Italy during the club season.
The most important thing for Bulgarian volleyball is that Blengini's return to club work will not mean parting ways with our national team.
On the contrary.
His contract has been extended for another two years – until 2028, and the big goal remains qualification for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
"My commitment to Bulgaria, as well as the set goals, remain unchanged. Nothing will change for me regarding my work and dedication to the national team. I already have experience in successfully combining two commitments, I believe it will be the same now," Blengini stated.
And his words about accumulated experience are not accidental. For Kiko, such a combination of national and club commitments will not be something new. He has already done it in his homeland, at the helm of the Italian national team and one of the strongest clubs in the country – Cucine Lube Civitanova.
The first instance was in 2015. Blengini was appointed head coach of Lube in May, and on August 1 of the same year, he also took over the Italian men's national team after Mauro Berruto's departure. Even at his appointment to lead the "Azzurri," it was specified that the decision was coordinated with Lube and that after his commitments with the national team, he would return to his work at the club.
Blengini continued to combine the two positions during the 2016/2017 season. The period proved to be extremely successful for him – he led Lube to a double with the championship title and the Italian Cup, while simultaneously continuing to be the coach of the "Azzurri."
After the end of the 2016/2017 club season, the situation changed, and Blengini focused entirely on the national team.
But this is not the last time he has combined the two posts. On February 26, 2021, Blengini again took over Lube while still being the coach of Italy. At the time, the specialist explained that his return to the club was made possible thanks to a special clause in his federal contract, allowing him to fulfill both commitments simultaneously.
So, for Blengini, the "national team plus club" model is not only familiar but has also been successful.
There is another current example that is even closer to the Bulgaria – Milan scenario.
The legendary Bernardo Rezende – Bernardinho, is the coach of the Brazilian men's national team and simultaneously leads the women's Sesc RJ Flamengo in his homeland.
It is precisely here that the analogy with Blengini's potential new commitment is almost complete – a men's national team in the summer and a women's club during the club season.
If the information about Milan is finally confirmed, Kiko will work according to the same model – the Bulgarian men's national team at the national level and women's Milan at the club level.
The difference is significant in only one respect. For Blengini, this would be his first challenge in women's volleyball as a head coach. However, the combination of club and national commitments itself is by no means new to him.
"Our big goal remains the Olympic Games and I strongly hope we will fulfill our dream," said Blengini.
Thus, just two days after the information emerged from Italy, one of the most important pieces of the coaching puzzle is already a fact.
Blengini will not leave Bulgaria. He will remain the national coach until 2028, but will once again be a club coach – and in Italy at that.
The Bulgarian Volleyball Federation has already given the necessary permission.
The last and most interesting question remains: will this club be Milan?
Information from Italy points precisely in this direction. If the entire operation is completed, Gianlorenzo Blengini could find himself at the helm of Paola Egonu and Milan, without giving up his big mission with Bulgaria – qualifying for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.