After parting ways with manager Gennaro Gattuso following Napoli's failure to secure Champions League qualification, it would appear Aurelio De Laurentiis has got his man.
The Napoli owner was ruthlessly efficient in his sacking of Gattuso, letting go of the iconic former midfielder just hours after the club's final fixture of the season. Less than a week later, former Inter and Roma manager Luciano Spalletti has been appointed as head coach. Gattuso, for his part, was not out of a job long, having been announced as the new manager of Fiorentina just three days after he departed I Partenopei.
Aurelio De Laurentiis:
I am delighted to announce that Luciano Spalletti will become Napoli coach on 1 July.
Welcome, Luciano – we'll do great work together. https://t.co/pvD58LEPMS— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli) May 29, 2021
During his first stint in charge of Roma, Spalletti led the club to two straight Coppa Italia victories in the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons. He also earned two Serie A Coach of the Year awards with the capital club before decamping to Russia with Zenit St. Petersburg. In the old imperial capital, Spalletti led the club to two Russian Premier League titles as well as a Russian Cup victory.
The Tuscany native returned to Roma in January 2016 and secured a second-place finish. He remained with the club until the end of the following season, bidding farewell after qualifying for the Champions League for the second year in a row.
He has been out of management since a two-year spell with Inter Milan, where he again secured consecutive Champions League qualifications after Inter had been absent from Europe's premier club competition for six years.
