De Laurentiis Considering Gattuso’s Future at Napoli After Genoa Loss

Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis was reportedly angry with his team’s display against Genoa and is considering replacing manager Gennaro Gattuso.

Gli Azzurri found themselves at the end of a losing Serie A battle against Genoa. Veteran striker Goran Pandev struck early and on two occasions to give the Genovese a lead that Napoli struggled to draw back from.

Gazzetta Dello Sport reports that De Laurentiis’ recent distrust in manager Gennaro Gattuso has grown after the most recent poor results. The sports journal states that the team’s owner will likely give the manager the opportunity to turn the team’s fortunes around in the following two matches against Atalanta and Juventus.

Poor results against these two top Serie A sides could signal a parting of the ways between the former Squadra Azzurra midfielder and Napoli.

Gennaro Gattuso, former manager of AC Milan, took the reins at Napoli last year when he replaced Carlo Ancelotti. The young manager lead the team to victory in Coppa Italia and enjoyed, generally, positive displays in Serie A.

While it looked almost certain at the end of last year that the Naples team would offer Gattuso a contract extension, the relationship between the manager and owner has soured in recent weeks.

According to numerous reports, De Laurentiis has been in contact with former Napoli manager, Rafael Benitez. The owner is said to have considered other options for the managerial position including that of current Lazio coach Simone Inzaghi.

A tough week ahead for Napoli as they play Atalanta on Wednesday in the 2nd leg semi-finals of Coppa Italia. They then meet rivals Juventus on Saturday at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.