Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso will leave the club following their fifth-place Serie A finish, owner Aurelio De Laurentiis said on Sunday.
Gattuso’s side dropped out of the Champions League places on the final day of the season hen they could only muster a 1-1 draw at home to mid-table Hellas Verona.
‘Dear Rino, I am happy to have spent almost two seasons with you. Thank you for your work and I wish you success wherever you go. A hug also to your wife and children,’ De Laurentiis wrote on Twitter after the game.
The announcement confirmed long-running media speculation that the former AC Milan manager would depart Naples when his contract expires in June.
It was followed by a tweet from the official club account that simply said: ‘Thank you, boss!’ alongside a picture of Gattuso.
In the crunch final game, Napoli knew they needed to better Juventus’ result and went ahead through Amir Rrahami’s 61st-minute strike only for it to be cancelled out by Marco Davide Feroni.
They went close to finding the all-important winner through efforts from Tiémoué Bakayoko, Andrea Petanga and Matteo Politano whille Dries Mertens had penalty appeals turned down.
They were unable to find the winner, subjecting Napoli to Europa League football next season.
Gattuso succeeded Carlo Ancelotti as Napoli coach in December 2019 and led them to Coppa Italia glory in June 2020.
Although his departure was widely expected, Gattuso has not fielded any questions on the matter recently as the club have imposed a media blackout since February.
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