Franco Ceravolo, sports director, spoke on “1 Football Club”, a radio program hosted by Luca Cerchione broadcast on 1 Station Radio. Below is an excerpt from the interview.
As a market expert that you are, what are your thoughts on the question of the Napoli bench?
“If I had been the Sporting Director I would have been able to say something more. I know that it is necessary to change coach and hire a strong figure, but I have received no news on the matter. Napoli knows very well that it is necessary to hire a strong coach capable of square. The Sports Director seems to have already been taken, so I have no doubt that they know what to do. Next season we need to start again with very clear ideas also to reverse the terrible results of the current season. We need to return to the path that leads to excelling in the championship”
Do you think Conte could be the next Neapolitan coach?
“We know Conte well, he is a coach who has won in Italy and abroad, and we also know what he is asking for. He would be the right coach, but he would like written guarantees relating to the management of the dressing room. He is a manager, not just a coach , therefore he should be guaranteed carte blanche. He is not a yes man, but for this very reason he is a winner, and if one is intelligent enough to understand this he also knows that it could be the right path to return to victory I think it was a limit for his arrival at Napoli”
Will Thiago Motta stay at Bologna?
“I can’t know this, but the owners are financially very strong and the managers are top level, so they won’t let him get away easily. Obviously if the call from a big team came, it could be difficult to keep him”
An opinion on Vincenzo Italiano’s growth path?
“In two seasons he has taken Fiorentina to European finals twice, he could do it again this year, with a staff that is not top-level. He is ready to make the leap to an even bigger club. I have followed him throughout his career right from the minor leagues, he leaves nothing to chance, he is a sanguine player who will still go a long way”
Which players should Napoli start again with?
“The managers and the coach have to choose this. Therefore, Manna will take care of it with the next coach. Some say that the director is a neophyte, but this is not the case, and in any case Napoli has a top-level scouting sector. We are very Manna, I’m sure that if they let him work he will do great things”
What will be the match on Sunday at the Maradona between Naples and Rome?
“Napoli will play for a dignified championship finale, Roma will continue their Champions League dream. We will also see how today’s match against Udinese ends, but they still have the chance to do something important between now and the end of the championship. Confident for an exploit for the Azzurri? Can Napoli win and lose against them all?
