'I will leave' - Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti announces departure

2023-05-30 12:34

'I will leave' - Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti announces departure


Luciano Spalletti announced on Monday that he will step down as Napoli coach.


"I will not stay in Napoli . I will leave," Spalletti said during his speech at the "Inside the Sport 2023, business and passion between transfer market" awards ceremony.


"For the next year, I will not be coaching Napoli or any other team. I will stay where I am for a year."


The 64-year-old Spalletti has been coaching Napoli since July 2021, and will add another Serie A championship to his team history this year. However, more than two weeks after he won the championship, there was shocking news that he failed to renew his contract. Napoli chairman De Laurentiis also admitted this shortly after: "Spalletti told me that he wanted to take a year off. Can I say no? He brought me a lot. I am very grateful to him."


There are many reasons for Spalletti's departure. He himself explained that one of the reasons was his daughter: "I have a little daughter, Mathilde, and I want to spend some time with her." Another reason was personal, "I needed a break. I felt a little tired, I want to rest for a while."


Spalletti, on the other hand, does not think he can give Napoli what he deserves: "Sometimes you leave because you love too much. Could it be that you never leave because of that? At this age, I can decide to do anything. Napoli is a city that deserves more, and you have to ask yourself if you can give it what it deserves. It shouldn't settle for mediocrity."


"My children tell me that one cannot go to Napoli without going to Napoli. Napoli has seen the best players in the world with a strong coach, especially in recent years. Sarri is the master of football, Ancelotti is the number one, plus Tusso is passionate and Benitez is an international coach. So, going to Napoli is about winning. We even got some criticism for it in the first year. This year, I don't feel that I am capable enough to lead Napoli to continue to be successful, So I choose to take a step back."


Napoli's new coach is currently undecided. It is reported that De Laurentiis prefers former Barcelona coach Luis Enrique to coach, who has been out of work since leaving the Spanish national team coach in December last year.