03.07.2014 17:30 h

Prandelli heads to Galatasaray after World Cup flop

Former Italy manager Cesare Prandelli is set to take over at Istanbul giants Galatasaray following his resignation after a poor World Cup campaign, the Turkish club said on Thursday.

"We will announce the official signing in one or two days. Our coach will be in charge of the team on Monday and kick off the season with our players," Galatasaray president Unal Aysal was quoted as saying by Galatasaray TV.

"I can absolutely promise our fans a Turkish league title this year," Aysal said, describing Prandelli as "brave, diligent, self-disciplined and hungry for success".

The Turkish league kicks off at the end of August with Galatasaray seeking to overcome eternal Istanbul rivals and last season's champions Fenerbahce.

With Fenerbahce disqualified due to a match-fixing scandal, Galatasaray are taking Turkey's automatic Champions League spot for 2014-2015 as last year's runners-up.

Prandelli, 56, oversaw Italy's failed World Cup campaign in Brazil which started promisingly with victory over England but ended in a first round exit.

He resigned immediately after defeat to Uruguay meant Italy failed to make it to the knockout stages, despite being under contract until the 2016 European Championships, and promptly launched a scathing attack on Italian football.

Galatasaray have at last found a successor to another Italian, former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini, who resigned at the end of last season amid a dispute over the transfer budget.

They had held talks with the sacked Manchester United boss David Moyes and had also expressed interest in top German coaches like national team chief Joachim Loew and US national coach Juergen Klinsmann.