AS Roma coach Claudio Ranieri watches his players during their warmup before the start of their Europa League soccer match against CSKA Sofia at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, in this Oct 1, 2009 file photograph. [Photo/Agencies]

* New coach promises to wake up the team

ROME - Inter Milan have appointed Claudio Ranieri as their new coach, the Serie A club said on their website on Thursday.

Inter Milan's new coach Claudio Ranieri conducts his first training session at the Inter Milan training center at Appiano Gentile, near Como Sept 22, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

"Claudio Ranieri is now officially Inter's new coach," read a statement on Inter.it. "The coach has signed a two-year contract with the club up until 30 June 2013."

Ranieri, who becomes Inter's fourth coach since Jose Mourinho led them to the Champions League title 16 months ago, takes over from Gian Piero Gasperini who was sacked on Wednesday after three months in charge following a disastrous start to the season.

The Nerazzurri were beaten by city rivals AC Milan in the Italian Super Cup, defeated at home by Trabzonspor in their opening Champions League fixture and on Tuesday were beaten by Serie A newcomers Novara.

"Inter are a great team," Ranieri told Italy's state television Rai on Wednesday. "They have had a bad start to the season and I will have to talk to the team to understand why that was.

"I will have to bring enthusiasm and a change of impetus in order to wake up the team. I cannot promise that we will win this or that but I believe this team has a lot to give and we must prove it."

Ranieri, 59, has coached in Spain (Valencia and Atletico Madrid) and in England (Chelsea), as well as working with a host of Italian clubs including Napoli, Fiorentina and most recently Juventus and Roma, where he resigned in February following a poor run of results - a season after taking the Giallorossi to the brink of the title.

Despite his pedigree, Ranieri has never won a league title, often playing bridesmaid, though he won the Copa Del Rey with Valencia in 1999 and the Coppa Italia with Fiorentina in 1996.

Last season Inter finished second in Serie A after claiming the scudetto for the previous five seasons.

The Italian's first game in charge will be at Bologna on Saturday before Inter face CSKA Moscow in the Champions League in midweek.