Spalletti speculation swirls after Napoli’s latest magical moment

N apoli reached another landmark in their title-winning campaign, a 3-1 win at home to Internazionale making this the first season in club history when they have beaten all 19 Serie A rivals at least once. Yet this latest feat was overshadowed by reports that the manager, Luciano Spalletti, might not return next season.

On Friday the club’s owner, Aurelio De Laurentiis, left room for doubt when he told Sky Sport: “Spalletti is a superstar and superstars need a place where they can express the best of themselves. He found that here and it all worked. [But] in life freedom is an immeasurable and invaluable good, you should never clip anyone’s wings just as I would not want anyone to clip mine.”

Spalletti gave a bemused response at his pre-game press conference, saying: “I honestly have no idea what this clipping wings phrase is supposed to mean. It’s not pertinent to what we said to each other at [a post-Scudetto] dinner. I don’t need a pair of wings for what I’m trying to achieve, a pair of boots will do fine.”

The manager’s contract at Napoli is set to expire at the end of this season, but the club holds options to extend by up to a further two years. De Laurentiis intended to trigger the first of these, but Spalletti is understood to want a new deal that reflects his achievement. His reported €3m per year salary is less than half what Massimiliano Allegri and José Mourinho make at Juventus and Roma respectively.

De Laurentiis’s comments suggest a better offer might not be forthcoming. Claims that the pair don’t see eye to eye have persisted since last spring, when results were wobbling and a group of Ultras hung a sign outside the stadium telling Spalletti they would return his stolen Fiat Panda if he quit.

Spalletti