The president and owner of Naples, Aurelio De Laurentiis, assured Thursday that he had not thought about sacking Rudi Garcia and changing coach during the international break. “After the defeat against Fiorentina (1-3), I read everything and anything,” said “ADL” during an hour-long press conference at the Napoli training center.
“If there were mistakes, I take responsibility for them, but from there to changing coaches,” explained the president of the reigning Italian champions. I told Garcia straight in the eye: “Keep doing what you’re doing and don’t worry.” Everyone makes mistakes, I hope they don’t happen again. In this case, he will have our support. »
Friendly contacts with Conte
Crowned Italian champion last season under the direction of Luciano Spalletti, Naples is 5th in the standings, seven points behind leader AC Milan, before the championship resumes this weekend. Rudi Garcia’s team has conceded two defeats in the league, three including their setback against Real Madrid (3-2) in the Champions League, all at home.
During the break, De Laurentiis met Antonio Conte, without a job since his departure last March from Tottenham, but he assured that it was not to offer him to coach Napoli: “Since we found each other on the same vacation spot, in the Maldives, a few years ago, we stayed in touch. The rest is just gossip intended to weaken whoever is currently in charge of the team and that annoys me. »
A verbal agreement with Osimhen to extend
“A change of coach is always a trauma,” continued De Laurentiis. And then, there aren’t that many coaches who prefer the 4-3-3 with a high defense. » The Neapolitan leader also returned to the negotiations which took place during the summer to extend the contract of Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, coveted by European big names and a Saudi club in July.
De Laurentiis assured that he had reached a verbal agreement with the top scorer of the 2022-23 Italian Championship, before he reversed his decision. “If after shaking hands, things change, it’s unpleasant and we take note of it, but life goes on. I have a great relationship with (Osimhen), his contract expires in 2025, we still have time,” he insisted.