‘The matter has been decided’: Luciano Spalletti says his Napoli future is settled

The Napoli head coach, Luciano Spalletti, has said he has reached a decision about his future at the Serie A champions but did not give further details.

After Sunday’s 3-1 home victory against Internazionale, Spalletti also told reporters that any subsequent achievements after Napoli’s first scudetto in more than 30 years might be overshadowed. Although the 64-year-old led Napoli to the title and Champions League quarter-finals, speculation around his future has been swirling in recent weeks.

“The matter has been decided, you don’t change your mind every day,” Spalletti said. “It’s a situation that has been brewing for a long time. When you work from morning to night, some matters tend to mature in your mind, because you have to put this spectacle on all the time. If you are not convinced that you can give everything these people deserve, it’s right to think it over. You think it over, you arrive at a conclusion and then you stick with it.”

Spalletti said he had discussed the situation with club president, Aurelio De Laurentiis, and they had resolved the matter. “All that needs doing is for it to be announced. I told De Laurentiis what I needed to say. There were no negotiations. After that dinner together, we emerged with everything sorted out.”

Asked about having defeated all 19 Serie A teams in a single season for the first time, Spalletti praised his players. “The quality of our football is what allowed us to stand out,” he said. “It was motivating for the players because they were facing a deserved Champions League finalist and had to prove all that we’d achieved throughout the season.”