In a shocking turn of events, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is considering letting go of Luciano Spalletti only a week after he delivered the club’s third ever Scudetto and their first in 33 years.
To replace him, veteran manager Rafael Benitez is being considered.
Benitez has been out of a job since he was axed as Everton manager in the 2021/22 season to be replaced by Frank Lampard. However, he is now the leading name to help Napoli defend their Serie A title in the 2022/23 season.
This news comes as a surprise to the Partenopei as contract talks were ongoing with Spaletti over an extension. His current deal was to expire next season if the extension talks proved fruitful, but it turns out that De Laurentiis has cut off all communications with Spalletti and his representatives.
The source of the tensions is allegedly the extension which was triggered without Spalletti’s knowledge, leading to him having an extra year instead of renegotiating the contract at the end of the season.
Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport reports this and claims that the film and business mogul owner of the Neapolitan club is considering Benitez as Spalletti’s replacement.
The 73-year-old Napoli boss had given hints of his displeasure with the contract talks in a past interview when he thanked the players and the backroom staff of the club instead of addressing the question that was directed to him about Spalletti’s contract.
He said: “I have to compliment the team, and particularly Alex Meret, who was criticised so harshly and instead had a very good season.
“A year ago when I sent away some geniuses and promised to compete for the Scudetto, I was taken for a madman.
“I maintained that promise. It is clear and natural that we can always do more.
“From the first day we travel for the new season, we’ll talk about the transfer market. Our scouts are there observing many players.”
Gazzetta dello Sport goes on to claim that contacts have been established with Benitez, who managed Napoli between 2013 and 2015 winning the Coppa Italia in those two years before leaving at the end of his contract.
Since leaving Napoli, however, Benitez has not found much success in management. He has been sacked by all but one of the clubs he has managed in that time.
It remains to be seen what Napoli plans to do about the incident but Spalletti’s exit could also mean the exits of a number of players who are vital to the club, like Victor Osimhen and Kim Min-jae.
