Nikola Maksimovic says “I listened to my heart then my head” in choosing Napoli, and reveals Sinisa Mihajlovic called him “a dead man”.
The Serbian defender left Torino to join the Partenopei, going on strike to force the move through.
“I had it in my head to leave Torino for some time,” Maksimovic told sportskacentrala.
“In the last few years I didn’t feel I was in my environment, this summer Napoli called me for the third time.
Nikola Maksimovic says “I listened to my heart then my head” in choosing Napoli, and reveals Sinisa Mihajlovic called him “a dead man”.
The Serbian defender left Torino to join the Partenopei, going on strike to force the move through.
“I had it in my head to leave Torino for some time,” Maksimovic told sportskacentrala.
“In the last few years I didn’t feel I was in my environment, this summer Napoli called me for the third time.
“There was interference from Mihajlovic, who I didn’t want conflict with but he told me I was, literally, a dead man to him.
“[President Urbano] Cairo wasn’t about to let me go easily, then he said he’d accept an offer of around €20m. Then Mihajlovic intervened and I told him what I thought.
“From there came a falling-out, but I don’t mind because I listened to my heart and then my head and that told me Napoli was an important challenge for me.
“I want to progress in my career, that’s normal.”