Serie A, Napoli-Spalletti: renewal in the balance. Idea Benitez

Imagine an evening at dinner at “Cicciotto a Mare Chiaro”, where the sea glitters. Luciano Spalletti this time has not chosen a place in the noisy nightlife of Chiaia, but a quiet place where you can listen to the surf of the waves and chat peacefully with some friends.

He enjoys seeing a happy city, in having given infinite joy to a grateful people, but at the same time he knows that the relationship with Aurelio De Laurentiis is in a moment of deep freeze and at the moment there are no conditions to continue working in harmony . Naples fascinated him, it took him into his soul, but then everyday life is within the walls of Castel Volturno and to work well there is no problem of money, but of stimuli and projects.

The meeting in Naples

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Yesterday the coach and the president also met, because De Laurentiis also followed part of the training session, greeting all the players. Between the protagonists a polite handshake and nothing more. After last Friday’s dinner all discussion was stopped. At the moment, the conditions to resume it do not seem to exist. That pec for the reconfirmation of the contract, sent as if it were any employee, was not “accepted” by Spalletti who, in respect of the roles, wants to be at the center of a project. And the big freeze has come. Blocked any discussion on any extensions. But it is true that – starting from the question with the ultras – De Laurentiis has shown that when he wants to solve something, he always finds a surprise solution.

Unmentionable

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Yesterday the president, together with all those in charge of Trentino, presented the next retreat in Dimaro-Folgarida. Spalletti usually takes part in this conference, but this time Meret was chosen. And the president began by addressing journalists with a premise that he knew was threatening: “We’ll talk about football later. Today we talk about Trentino and nothing else. We have an important match against Inter on Sunday and we are focused on that. Otherwise I’ll get up and go.” Several times attempts have been made to ask about Spalletti’s future, but De Laurentiis has never named him, apart from in a final passage by tying him to the team and to the party on 4 June. Indeed, in a thank you he reiterates his compliments to the players, without any reference to the coach. And when he talks about the future of the Italian champions he underlines: “The cat prescient fathered blind children. We’ve made changes every year. A year ago when I sent away some genes (textual, ed) and declared that I wanted to win the scudetto I was thought crazy… Instead I kept my promise. It is clear and necessary that more and more can be done. I have always enjoyed the competition. The first day we’ll be on the road for the new sporting year, which we hope will be very blue, we’ll talk about the transfer market. Our scouts have been there to observe many players. By now Napoli is a brand that you can render in a poster with blue and the sun. The same elements present in my family crest”. To reiterate: trust me, no one is indispensable and everyone is replaceable. Coaches, managers and of course players. The only mention is of last Friday’s dinner with the unmentionable Spalletti: “It was due, it was the dinner of friendship and thanksgiving”.

The look beyond

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Then avoid any other possible media trap. The current situation is damningly starting to resemble that of five years ago, when Maurizio Sarri was “armored” against his will and Chelsea paid Jorginho to convince De Laurentiis. So what does the president do: does he want to convince Spalletti and re-motivate him or is he already looking elsewhere? Certainly he hasn’t made a definitive move yet but contacts with Rafa Benitez have been there for some time and the Spanish coach knows the environment and ambitions well, as well as highly esteeming Spalletti and his work. Considering that we are talking about someone who has already won the Champions League, in line with the ambitions of a president who will have to be convincing with the square to change the coach for the Scudetto.

Party and retreats

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Waiting to figure out who will lead Napoli with the Scudetto on their chest, the president himself confirmed that the match against Sampdoria will be played at 7pm on Sunday. “And then a great party will start and last until nightfall. For the award ceremony I have prepared a stage of over 500 square meters and I will put up lots of giant screens so that everyone can see clearly. I asked Fiorello to assemble his entire structure at the Maradona to start there in the early hours of Monday. We’ll see if he accepts.” Meanwhile, the retreat in Dimaro, with many new features, will take place from 14 to 25 July.