RIO DE JANEIRO: Paulo Turra has been named head coach of Santos for the rest of the Brazilian Serie A season, the club said.

The 49-year-old replaces Odair Hellmann, who was sacked on Thursday following a poor run of results, reports Xinhua.

Turra’s only previous senior coaching role was a spell in charge of Athletico Paranaense, whom he guided to 25 wins, four draws and seven defeats before parting ways with the Curitiba club earlier this month.

Santos are currently 13th in the Brazilian Serie A standings with just three wins from 11 games so far.

The eight-time Brazilian top-flight champions will be aiming to end a nine-game winless run across all competitions when they host Flamengo on Saturday.