Second-tier Sampdoria started the season with one draw and two losses, leaving them second-bottom in the table.
Pirlo, who won the World Cup as a player with Italy in 2006, had a one-year spell as Juventus coach in 2020-21, after he briefly coached their under-23 team.
He also coached Fatih Karagümrük, leading it to seventh place in the Turkish league in his one year in charge.
Sampdoria were relegated in 2023, and subsequently bought by former Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani and businessman Matteo Manfredi, who appointed Pirlo seeking a quick return.
But the club came seventh last season, losing in the promotion play-offs, and this season’s poor start means they are already six points off the two automatic promotion places.
AAP
