Dejan Stankovic confirms he will not be on the Sampdoria bench next season, describing the job as a ‘suicide mission’ and acknowledging the focus had to be on saving the club from bankruptcy.
Their situation in the Serie A table was already dire when he took over from sacked Marco Giampaolo on October 6 and things did not particularly improve, as he oversaw three Serie A wins, eight draws and 18 defeats.
“This will be my final game on this bench, I will not be here next season,” Stankovic told DAZN ahead of the game with Napoli.
They finished the campaign rock bottom, but the good news received this week is that Massimo Ferrero has accepted the takeover bid from Leeds United patron Andrea Radrizzani, so they will be able to register in the Serie B tournament next season rather than go bankrupt and start again from the amateur league.
“It has been a very tough season to face in every respect. On the one side, the club had to make a decision and I realised that speaking to President Marco Lanna. They could either try to save Sampdoria by not going into Serie B, or try to save the club. It was the right decision, to save Sampdoria, for all of the fans and I include myself in that.
“I learned here how to love a club, how to defend a club and I want to thank everyone for staying by our side. I will never forget these eight months. The fans were the only ray of light in an endless tunnel.”
However, the farewell speech to DAZN was not all positive, as Stankovic also had some things to get off his chest.
“In professional terms, the situation at the club worsened considerably after my arrival. It was already difficult in December, but once the transfer window closed, it became extremely difficult. I was disappointed on a professional level, because when you go on a suicide mission, you have to agree on what you’re doing.”
The coach concluded by thanking those who tried to the bitter end to keep Sampdoria afloat.
“I thank my staff, all those who I met here, marvellous people. I thank the players, as it was difficult, but we experienced it together and were united to the end. “I am sorry, because I am a professional, I respected the jersey and the club. I thank the Doria fans for their su