Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has praised Rafael Benitez for his two years at the club, who confirmed on Thursday that he would be departing at the end of the season.
Benitez leaves after two seasons at the San Paolo during which time he delivered a Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana crown but has opted not to renew his deal – something that he revealed to De Laurentiis last year.
“I want to thank Rafa for the time we have had together. From the first meeting with him, he won me over and gave me the guarantees we needed,” he said at a press conference confirming the coach’s exit. “When we exercised the option in his contract for this season, he let me know that it would be his last because his family wanted him to be closer to them.
“We had a similar situation with [Walter] Mazzarri but I just wanted to let the fans know this in case they have been misinformed.”
He also defended the club in the face of criticism, pointing to their European record in the face of competition from sides he believes are financially stronger as reasons to be hopeful.
“My goal remains the internationalisation of Napoli and to do that you do not need to win the title. For the sixth consecutive year, we are the only Italian team in Europe during all that time. Economically, we are behind teams like Juventus, AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund,” he added.
“When this season ends, we will finish with a loss of €20 million. In Italy, things are complex and different. If we were in England would we already have won the Champions League? Who knows, maybe!”
De Laurentiis also confirmed the departure of another Napoli man who wants to be closer to his family – sporting director Riccardo Bigon who leaves after six seasons at the club and who will be relocating to the north of Italy, leading to speculation that he could be headed for Hellas Verona with Sean Sogliano moving in the other direction.
