by napoli face another summer revolution, even after the Italian club won its first Serie A title in 33 years. Indeed, coach Luciano Spalletti will be leaving the club at the end of the season, as various reports have suggested and the coach himself hinted at the most recent press conference after the game against Inter.
“I’m not expecting anything, everything is clear. It just needs to be said. We agree with [Aurelio] De Laurentiis (the owner of the club) waits a bit, but everything is clear.”
While Spalletti is expected to take a year-long break, as he did after being sacked by Inter in the summer of 2019, given his contract runs until summer 2024, Napoli will soon begin their search for a new manager. De Laurentiis and Spalletti are likely to end their working relationship after just two years, despite making club history.
There are several reasons for this decision. First, Spalletti probably felt it was the right time to end his time at Napoli, having made history and won the Scudetto, as he cannot give away what he has done in the last two seasons, also on a personal level, as the coach has literally lived in the club’s training center. Furthermore, sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli is also likely to leave Napoli at the end of the season, with reports suggesting Juventus decided to start a new cycle with him in charge. Giuntoli has been one of those responsible for Napoli’s success in recent years, signing the likes of defender Kim Min-Jae, Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, just to name a few.
The Giuntoli-Spalletti duo worked well and it will certainly be difficult to replace one or even both. On the other hand, De Laurentiis has taught us that he is good at making the right decisions, as he did last summer when he decided to sell players like defender Kalidou Koulibaly, former captain Lorenzo Insigne and club legend mertens drought all in the same transfer window. Let’s now take a look at possible replacements.
Big names: Antonio Conte and Luis Enrique
De Laurentiis can opt for a big name, as he has done in the past when he appointed managers like Rafa Benitez and Carlo Ancelotti. The Spanish coach, for example, is also a name to take into account for a possible turnaround, while Antonio Conte seems unlikely for what could be the working relationship between him and De Laurentiis, both of whom don’t mind letting go of control. Some reports have also suggested a possible Serie A return to luis enriqueafter training AS Pomegranate during the 2011-12 season. The Spaniard is looking for a new club after ending his spell at Spain’s Ttam after the 2022 World Cup. De Laurentiis is not a fan of big names when it comes to managers and has shown in the past to prefer what he feels might work best for him. your team than hiring headlines. That’s why his relationship with the coaches wasn’t easy, and this is undoubtedly a factor to take into account.
Serie A Candidates: Thiago Motta, vincenzo italian and more
The most likely scenario is that of a coach who has worked and knows Serie A. Napoli will be considered the favorites to regain the title, as is often the case when winning the Scudetto. Despite many interests, Napoli will try to keep the biggest names in the squad. While Roberto De Zerbi (always liked by De Laurentiis), will stay in Brighton and not return to Italy this summer, the club’s eyes are on three names in particular. Current bologna manager Thiago Mottawhich is also on Paris Saint Germain’s radar, from Fiorentina trainer vincenzo italian It is Sassuolo’s Alessio Dionisi. They are all young, and they also have a similar idea of attacking football in common. However, as coaches, they still need to gain experience at a high level, but this will not be a problem for Napoli, as similar profiles of coaches appointed in the past have turned out to be highly appreciated, such as Maurizio Sarri, for example.
Potential dark horses: Julian Nagelsmann and Massimo Allegri
A surprising name is definitely an option, like that of Julian Nagelsmann just to name one that was mentioned in the last few days. There is yet another scenario that could also determine the future of another bench and is also linked to the future of Massimiliano Allegri. The current Juventus coach could leave the Bianconeri at the end of the season, despite his contract running until the summer of 2025. With Giuntoli heading to Juventus, he could also decide to bring Spalletti to Juventus (if De Laurentiis lets that happen), and Allegri could also become a natural candidate for Napoli’s job. That would be an unexpected turn of events, but it won’t be the first nor the last when it comes to Napoli and Juventus.
