Luciano Spalletti hints he ‘might’ve’ spoken to Chelsea left-back Emerson Palmieri for a move to Napoli and describes how his team will play.
Today was the presentation press conference for new coach Spalletti, who takes over from Gennaro Gattuso at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
“We want to play a style of football that is similar to the city and who the fans will be proud of,” said Spalletti.
“I’d like to see a team of ‘scugnizzi’ who believe in their own talent and are eager to show it off in any arena.”
A ‘scugnizzo’ is a Neapolitan term for a street kid with a fair bit of cheek and confidence, often used to describe captain Lorenzo Insigne.
The tactical foundations of his Napoli are also explained by the new coach.
“The basic system could be 4-2-3-1 when we are out of possession, then when we have the ball it’s easy to switch to 4-3-3. The main focus is not that we want to just survive, but take the initiative and enjoy ourselves.”
Spalletti was asked about reports he has asked Emerson Palmieri to reunite with him at Napoli after they worked together at Roma.
“That is a question I cannot answer, but it’s possible that might’ve happened…”
Currently playing for Italy at UEFA EURO 2020, Emerson is eager to move on from Chelsea and has also been linked with Inter and Roma.