Napoli have selected Gian Piero Gasperini as their new head coach.
“Napoli president Aurelio Le Laurentiis seems to have chosen Gasperini as the new coach,” said Ciro Venerrato, a transfer market expert for Italy’s Rai Sport, on Feb. 22 (KST).
“They will offer him a two-year contract with an annual salary of €4 million,” he added, revealing the terms of the deal.
Spalletti joined Napoli in 2021 after coaching Sampdoria, AS Roma, and Inter Milan. In his first year, he excelled. A steady defense with minimal conceded goals and a third-place finish in the league earned him a UEFA Champions League (UCL) ticket.
There was a lot of anxiety ahead of this season. Kalidou Koulibaly, Fabian Luis, Lorenzo Insigne, and other key resources left the team all at once. However, the team managed to fill the gaps with the likes of Kim Min-jae and Hvitsa Kvarachelia. Napoli won the Scudetto (Italian Serie A championship) after 33 games. Spalletti’s attacking style of play paid off.
Spalletti will leave Napoli at the end of the 2022-23 season. Napoli president Maurizio Sarri told Italy’s Sky Sports: “Spalletti is a champion. He had to find a place where he could express himself to the best of his ability, and he found it here. I wish him all the best for the future. In life, freedom is immeasurably valuable. You shouldn’t limit your ambitions.”
“There is no doubt about it. Freedom is an immeasurable asset in life. Just as others can’t control me, I shouldn’t control them. We shouldn’t clip anyone’s wings. We shouldn’t limit anyone’s ambition,” he said, hinting at his departure. 토토사이트
Spalletti himself has also spoken out on the matter, telling a press conference after the match against Inter Milan: “The decision has been made and I will not change my mind. It’s a situation that has been talked about for a long time. It didn’t just fall out of the sky.”
Napoli president Laurenti Benitez seems to have found his next coach, according to journalist Venerato. Gasperini is currently in charge of Atalanta. Gasperini has been with Atalanta since 2016 and has been able to keep the team in the top half of the table with his incredible attacking football, especially in Serie A, where he scored 98 points in 2019-20 and 90 points in 2020-21.
This season, they are in contention for a UCL ticket. After 36 rounds, they are in fifth place with 18 wins, 7 draws, and 11 losses (61 points). They are three points behind fourth-place AC Milan (64 points).