The first piece of the big coaching puzzle in European volleyball is now officially in place. Vero Volley Milano announced their parting with Stefano Lavarini, and this move practically sets in motion the entire chain involving Fenerbahçe, Marcello Abbondanza, and Gianlorenzo Blengini.
The Italian club confirmed on August 14, 2026, that Lavarini would no longer be the team's head coach. Along with him, assistant coach Andrea Mafrici and scoutman Kacper Duda are also leaving.
This is the first official move in the anticipated coaching domino. According to information from Italy, Lavarini's next stop should be Fenerbahçe, where he is expected to replace the current coach Marcello Abbondanza.Volleyball.itreports that the Italian specialist is headed to Istanbul, also citing a sum of around 50,000 euros for his release from Milan.

Fenerbahçe remains silent

However, there is one important clarification here. Currently, Fenerbahçe has not published an official announcement regarding either a parting with Marcello Abbondanza or the signing of Stefano Lavarini.
This means that the officially confirmed part of the operation so far is only the Milan – Lavarini separation. The rest of the chain is still awaiting its documentary completion.
According toVolleyball.itthe situation with Abbondanza is even more delicate, as the Italian specialist is still under contract with Fenerbahçe. The publication claims that the Turkish giant changed its strategy after changes in the club management, even though an extension of relations with Abbondanza had been previously agreed upon.
Thus, Lavarini's release from Milan removes one of the main obstacles to the next move. However, for the operation to be completed, Fenerbahçe must settle its relations with Abbondanza and officially open the spot for Lavarini.

Lavarini returns to where he came from

If the expected deal is finalized, this will be a return to Fenerbahçe for Lavarini.
The Italian led the Turkish giant during the 2023/2024 season before taking over Milan. Now, two years later, his path once again leads to Istanbul. According to information that appeared in the Turkish media, the two sides have reached an agreement for a two-year contract, but official confirmation from Fenerbahçe is still awaited.
This automatically calls into question the future of Marcello Abbondanza, who, in addition to being Fenerbahçe's coach, is also the head coach of the Bulgarian women's national team.
And it is precisely here that the coaching domino acquires a particularly strong Bulgarian accent.

Milan frees up the spot for Blengini

While Lavarini heads to Istanbul, in Milan the expectation is that his successor will be another Italian with a direct connection to Bulgaria – Gianlorenzo Blengini.
The head coach of our men's national team is being named by Italian media as Vero Volley's choice for the new head coach.Volleyball.itwrites that after Lavarini's official release, Milan is already preparing to announce Blengini.
If this is confirmed, we will get an extremely curious coaching chain:
Lavarini leaves Milan → Lavarini goes to Fenerbahçe → Fenerbahçe parts ways with Abbondanza → Blengini takes over Milan.
Moreover, two of the coaches in this carousel – Blengini and Abbondanza – are the head coaches of the Bulgarian men's and women's national teams, respectively. The Bulgarian Volleyball Federation has already given the green light to our men's national team coach to combine this activity with club commitments.

Two years with Lavarini at the helm of Milan

Stefano Lavarini arrived in Milan in the summer of 2024 and in his two seasons led the team to two consecutive Italian championship finals.
Under his leadership, Numia finished third in the Champions League in the 2024/2025 season, as well as third in the Club World Championship in 2024.
The biggest success came on October 18, 2025, in Trieste, when Milan defeated Conegliano and won the Italian Supercup.
The triumph was historic for the city as well – Milan received its first national volleyball trophy in 80 years.
Vero Volley thanked Lavarini and his team for the professionalism and values they conveyed during their two seasons of collaboration, and wished them success in the continuation of their careers.

The second coach and scoutman are also leaving Milan – who is coming with Blengini?

However, there is another detail from the official announcement that, from a Bulgarian perspective, may prove no less interesting than the change of head coach itself.
Along with Lavarini, Milan is releasing assistant coach Andrea Mafrici and scoutman Kacper Duda.
This frees up two key positions in the technical staff, and if Blengini's expected appointment becomes a reality, the question immediately arises:
Who will Blengini bring with him to Milan?
Italian reports indicate that the change will not be limited to just the head coach. Volley News reports that along with the Lavarini – Blengini change, a complete overhaul of Milan's technical staff is expected.
That's precisely why it will be interesting to see whether Blengini will build an entirely new Italian team, turn to people he has worked with in his previous clubs, or bring in someone from his current staff in the Bulgarian national team.
Particularly interesting are the positions of assistant coach and scoutman, which are now vacant after the official announcement from Milan.
If someone from the Bulgarian national staff follows Blengini to Italy, it would mean an opportunity for part of the team to work together practically throughout the year – first in the club season, and then with the national team.
For now, however, this is a question that remains to be answered.
The official fact from August 14th is one – Stefano Lavarini is no longer the coach of Novara Vero Volley Milano. But his release could trigger a chain reaction and a change of coaches in two teams.
Lavarini is expected at Fenerbahçe. Abondanza must arrange his departure from the Turkish club. Blengini is expected in Milano.
And once the next piece of the puzzle is in place, one particularly interesting question will remain for us:
Who will go with Blengini to Milano?

photos and collage: volleyweek.bg