Napoli President Aurelio Di Laurentiis prepares for 2014 by criticising naysayers and ex-Coach Walter Mazzarri.
The patron spoke to Radio Kiss Kiss this afternoon and as usual did not hold back.
Napoli President Aurelio Di Laurentiis prepares for 2014 by criticising naysayers and ex-Coach Walter Mazzarri.
The patron spoke to Radio Kiss Kiss this afternoon and as usual did not hold back.
“We have to be pleased with what 2013 brought. The fans want to win and that is all, but we must remember that we started out as a club built from nothing, because Napoli effectively no longer insisted,” he said referring to the bankruptcy in August 2004.
“Because the stadiums need to be restructured, Italian clubs struggle to compete with the revenue of Europe’s giants. We followed Financial Fair Play rules and were able to achieve as much as other clubs without wasting millions. We have less than half the turnover of Juventus” data-scaytid=”5″>Juventus.
“I send a message to those know-it-alls who tell us to buy him or him: I am proud of the Napoli players who are envied by everyone!”
Rafa Benitez replaced Mazzarri over the summer when the former tactician opted to join Inter.
“I have nothing against those who gave a great deal to Napoli, but we wanted an international choice and a Coach capable of giving our football an identity like the most important clubs in the world, with a complex 4-2-3-1 system.
“We need to forge the players within the new system and find the right players on the market. Don’t forget we have three more points this season than we did last year, even though we also had to play the Champions League. Last term we abdicated the Europa League in order to dedicate our focus on Serie A.
“Our objective is to keep reinforcing Napoli via Benitez and give him time to reap what he sows. No offence, but I don’t see other more prestigious clubs doing that well.”
Asked about the January transfer window, De Laurentiis warned not every target could be achieved.
“We’ll sign what we need, but we could find clubs who don’t want to sell or players who reject a move because of wives, girlfriends or family. There are many variables.
“We must also differentiate between signings for right now and buys for the future. It’s easier to act on the market in June, but I’d like to take advantage of economic opportunities now.
“For example, we have been negotiating a contract for two months, but the club and the player still haven’t given us a response.”