Aurelio De Laurentis believes Carlo Ancelotti could stay at Napoli for six years but accuses Maurizio Sarri of ‘using me as a bank’.
Ancelotti replaced Sarri as Napoli Coach over the summer, although it was only the precursor to a messy divorce between De Laurentiis and the Chelsea boss.
“How did the idea of Ancelotti come about? For years we spoke on the phone about each other’s players,” the President told Corriere dello Sport.
Aurelio De Laurentis believes Carlo Ancelotti could stay at Napoli for six years but accuses Maurizio Sarri of ‘using me as a bank’.
Ancelotti replaced Sarri as Napoli Coach over the summer, although it was only the precursor to a messy divorce between De Laurentiis and the Chelsea boss.
“How did the idea of Ancelotti come about? For years we spoke on the phone about each other’s players,” the President told Corriere dello Sport.
“I was not only struck by his balance but also his education because when he sensed that there would be no margins for negotiations, he didn’t insist.
“The other day Carlo was in Ischia, he called me to say with enthusiasm: ‘Aurelio, I could stay here for six years.’
“I’m proud to have identified a man of his calibre, not just in professional terms. We have a human relationship, where we can amicably discuss our mutual interests.
“Before the game against Liverpool, I called him and expressed my opinions. With politeness, leadership and authority, he told me: ‘President, don’t worry, we’ll win.’
“I took him for his word and said in the 87th minute, ‘you want to see what happens?’ And then it happened.
“I thought I’d met a Coach in Sarri who would stay here for a long time. I could’ve held him back, because he had two more years left on his contract, but at a certain point it became only a question of money.
“This is a strange world, where suddenly – through the media – it’s established when a contract is valid, so what’s the value of an agreement that’s just written?
“Keep in mind that I’d already gave him a raise from €700,000 to €1.55m. I also once heard him say that for his next contract, he wanted to get rich.
“I asked myself: what about his declarations of love for the city? I’d believed him, but then I wondered: what if he was using me as a bank?”