Luciano Spalletti has confirmed that he will be leaving his position as coach of Napoli at the end of the season and that he intends to take a sabbatical next year, ruling out the possibility of his joining another club before the start of the new campaign in August.
The 64-year-old had led the Partenopei to their first Serie A title in over 30 years this season, having secured their place at the top of the league table with five games to spare, but since then, Spalletti has dropped several hints that he could be on his way out of the Stadio Maradona.
On Monday afternoon, Spalletti delivered the most concrete statement to date in regard to his future, claiming at the Inside the Sport 2023 event at Coverciano, that he feels exhausted and is in need of a period of time away from football.
“Sometimes, even with so much love, you have to leave. Now, I’m not able to give everything that Napoli deserves. I need to rest. I feel tired. I need to disconnect for a while. I won’t coach Napoli or any other team, I’ll be off for a year,” Spalletti said.
Napoli had previously had the option to automatically extend Spalletti’s contract by a further year, which would have run until the summer of 2024, but according to reports, the Scudetto-winning coach requested that the club let him go at the end of this season.
President Aurelio De Laurentiis shared his side of the story while appearing on Che Tempo Fa on Rai 3 on Sunday evening, explaining that it was Spalletti who had asked to take time off rather than it being a decision from the club.
On the programme, ADL explained: “When someone comes to you and says that he has done all he can and an era of his life has concluded… He told me that he would prefer to have a sabbatical year. What do you do then? Do you oppose it?
“He gave me a great deal, I thank him. Now it is only right that he continues to do what he loves.”
Napoli are now on the hunt for a new coach to lead them into the 2023-24 season, with Luis Enrique emerging as the candidate at the top of De Laurentiis’ wish list.