Italian champion Luciano Spalletti confirmed on Monday he is “tired” of being with Napoli and will not coach Napoli or any other team next season, the coach said at a ceremony in Florence.
“I need to rest, because I feel a bit tired, I need to be away for a while,” the 64-year-old coach said, according to words reported by Italian media while receiving an award at the Cavariano National Technical. Center.
Napoli president and owner Aurelio De Laurentiis announced on Sunday that his coach had requested a “sabbatical year”. “He has given everything, I thank him, and now it is good that he continues to do what he wants to do”, “ADL” added on Rai3.
“I don’t know if you can call that a sabbatical year, but I told him that I’m stopping this season, I’m not coaching Napoli or any other team,” explained Spalletti, who took charge of the Neapolitan club. Led to his third Scudetto, the first after achieving it in the Maradona era (1987, 1990).
“At my age, you can decide to do whatever you want. When you have a city like Napoli in front of you that deserves great things, you have to ask yourself if you are able to provide yourself for them.” Napoli don’t deserve ordinary things. This year, I don’t deserve”, said the coach known for his strong character.
– Contacted Luis Enrique? ,
Fifteen years after two Italian Cups (2007, 2008) and the Italian Super Cup (2007), Spalletti, won with AS Roma, left with the most beautiful title of his career, a first Scudetto he probably no longer believed in. . Ten years after his Russian champion title (2010, 2012) with Zenit St. Petersburg, his only experience abroad.
According to the press, without waiting for the officialization of his departure, provoked by the Italian media for a dozen days, Naples had already started looking for a successor. There has been talk of Spaniards Luis Enrique and Rafael Benitez (the latter already coached the club between 2013 and 2015), currently free, or Italians Vincenzo Italiano (Fiorentina) and Thiago Motta (Bologna).
Whoever the successor is, it will not be an easy task for him.
Praised for their attacking play, Napoli dominated the championship this season with ease, equaling the Serie A record for untimeliness and mathematically securing their title at the beginning of May, five games from the end of the season. Napoli also reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time in their history, being knocked out by AC Milan.
This departure by Spalletti comes when there is no guarantee that several key players in the title will continue, including Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, who is backed by several teams and is a great fan of the English Premier League, and South Korean central defender Kim Min-jae. For which Manchester United would be interested.
The coach, who has been at the foot of Vesuvius since 2021, will lead his last game on Sunday, in the 38th and final match of Serie A against Sampdoria Genoa.
