“Spalletti is a free man,” said Aurelio De Laurentiis during his appearance on Che tempo che fa on Sunday evening. “After 50 years of cinema and many exclusives, I think that when someone comes to you and says that they have done their best, that the cycle has ended for them, and they ask you for a sabbatical year, what are you going to do? Are you going to oppose it?”
Spalletti wants to spend more time with his daughter Matilde. The Napoli coach confirmed as much at the MCL Inside the Sports Awards on Monday, where he was the recipient of the Coach of the Year Award.
“I have a little daughter and I want to spend some time with her. I need to rest because I feel a little tired and I want to be aside for a bit.”
Since joining Napoli in 2021, Spalletti never purchased or rented a home in Naples. For the past two seasons, the Napoli coach has practically lived as the Castel Volturno training ground. By the end of this season, Spalletti will have prepared for and coached 86 matches for Napoli in all competitions.
Rumours around Spalletti’s future have been swirling for weeks, with various media outlets reporting that De Laurentiis exercised his one-year option to extend Spalletti’s contract via PEC (or certified email). According to Italian media, the club is negotiating with former Barcelona coach Luis Enruique to succeed Spalletti. In the meantime, De Laurentiis thanked the Tuscan for his service. “In life you have to be generous. He gave [to us], I thank him. It’s right that he continues to do what he wants to do.”
[…] Above all, the Napoli Sporting Director credited Luciano Spalletti, who received the Coach of the Year Award. […]