FORMER CHELSEA AND Roma manager Claudio Ranieri has taken charge at Inter.

The Italian replaces Gian Piero Gasperini, who was sacked after only five games after failing to win a single match during his tenure.

Ranieri becomes Inter’s fifth coach in 15 months, and has signed a two-year contract with the club.

A statement from the official Inter website read:

Claudio Ranieri has officially become the new coach of Inter. He has signed a contract binding him to the club until 30 June 2013. Everyone at F.C. Internazionale has the pleasure of welcoming Claudio Ranieri and his staff and wishing them well.

This afternoon at the Centro Sportivo Angelo Moratti in Appiano Gentile, Ranieri will take charge of the team’s training session at 17:00; this will be open to journalists, TV cameras and photographers for the first 15 minutes.

Irish football fans will remember Ranieri most from his time at Chelsea, when his eccentric and unpredictable team selections prompted the English media to dub him the ‘tinkerman’.