Reports from Italian media suggest Christophe Galtier is Napoli’s priority next season to succeed Luciano Spalletti. The Partenopei have been linked with a number of coach’s since Spalletti’s departure, ranging from Paulo Sousa to Luis Enrique.
Local newspaper Corriere del Mezzogiorno claim that the hottest name for Napoli’s bench post-Spalletti is the one leading to Galtier, who is expecting to leave PSG very soon. The newspaper writes:
“Napoli is waiting, with the idea that they can convince the former coach of Victor Osimhen from his Lille days. Galtier has the characteristics that De Laurentiis likes: experience both in teams like Lille, which have performed above expectations and in the complex PSG locker room, and the identikit of a winner (in France he won two championships and a Super Cup).”
La Gazzetta dello Sport also report on these lines, suggesting that while Paulo Sousa is a realistic option, Galtier is a very realistic alternative. Gazzetta write:
“The alternative that is still on the table concerns Frenchman Christophe Galtier. Contact with the coach currently on the payroll of Paris Saint-Germain has already taken place and has been quite satisfactory for both parties. The primary condition is for the coach to reach an agreement to separate from the French champions . And this should happen soon because Ligue 1 regulations do not allow a club to sign more than one coach, so to hire the new coach (Julian Nagelsmann appears favoured) will first have to terminate the existing contract with Galtier. There is reportedly a close agreement for the termination, which includes €6 million in compensation for the Marseille man, who has proceeded to inform De Laurentiis. So the Frenchman remains a ‘live’ option and could hold surprises, as is the style of the film producer.”
“At the same time if Galtier does not really free himself in a short time, his situation does not become functional for Napoli – Considering in all these cases, Sousa included, the possibility of taking advantage of the tax discounts of the “growth decree” – De Laurentiis would be able to fall within the ceiling set for each of his players, which must not exceed €7 million gross expenses.”
“At the same time, solutions also remain open that could bring to the Azzurri, after Spalletti, two other past coaches from Roma: the Frenchman Rudi Garcia and the Portuguese Paulo Fonseca, who with Shakhtar Donetsk in December 2017 knocked Napoli out of the Champions League group stage (beating Manchester City) and showing up with a Zorro mask in the press room to celebrate.”
