Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti has announced that he will take time away from football and won’t be in charge of the newly crowned Serie A champions next season.
The 64-year-old led the Partenopei to their first Serie A title in over three decades this season, finishing first with five games to spare, but Spalletti has thrown several indications that he could be leaving the Stadio Maradona.
On Monday afternoon, Spalletti made the most definitive statement about his future to yet, announcing at the Inside the Sport 2023 event at Coverciano that he is exhausted and needs a break from football.
“Sometimes, even with so much love, you have to leave. Now, I’m not able to give everything that Napoli deserves. “I’m a bit tired and want to spend time with my daughter Matilde,” Spalletti said.
Napoli had previously had the option to automatically extend Spalletti’s contract by one year, until the summer of 2024, but the Scudetto-winning coach reportedly requested that the club let him leave at the end of this season.
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De Laurentiis stated of Spalletti’s impending departure over the weekend, “He is a free man. After 50 years in cinema [as producer], and so many exclusives with directors, actors, when someone comes to you and says: ‘After all, I’ve done my best, a cycle of my life has ended, I still have a contract with you, but I’d rather have a sabbatical year.’ What are you going to do, are you going to oppose it?
“You have to be generous in life, I never expect anything in return. He gave us, I thank him, now it’s right that he continues to do what he loves to do.”
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