Italian champions Napoli announced on Thursday that Rudi Garcia will take over as coach in place of Luciano Spalletti. The 59-year-old led AS Roma in Italy from 2013 to 2016 before taking over as manager of French Ligue 1 teams Marseille and Lyon. However, Garcia's contract's duration was not made clear by Napoli.
Garcia's predecessor at Napoli, Spalletti, who guided them to their first Italian league championship since 1990, requested a one-year leave of absence from his position. The Frenchman spent last season as the manager of Al Nassr of Saudi Arabia. With Cristiano Ronaldo in charge of the offence, they came in second in the Saudi Pro League. In April, Al Nassr cut ties with Garcia amid rumours of a tense relationship with Ronaldo.
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis welcomed Garcia via Twitter: "I am pleased to announce that, having met with him over the last 10 days, Mr Rudi Garcia will be the new coach of Napoli. We wish him a warm welcome and the best of luck!"
Garcia's first significant obstacle will be persuading Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, who was essential to Napoli's championship-winning season, to remain with the team. Osimhen's impressive performance, which included 31 goals across all competitions, caught the curiosity of prestigious European clubs like Manchester United, Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich.
On the other hand, De Laurentiis has made it clear that he won't let go of the 24-year-old unless it's on his terms. The supporters of Napoli will be anticipating Garcia's plans and methods as they hope for sustained success under his direction.
