Serie A: Napoli eye AC Milan manager Stefano Pioli as next man at the helm

Napoli’s fortunes have taken a big hit in the Serie A in the last 12 months as they have gone from champions to middle-table side. The club having changed manager on two occasions this season, will now look to prepare for the next season. According to close reports, Stefano Pioli has been lined up by the Napoli hierarchy with the current AC Milan manager on his way out at the end of the season, If the move dies on, Napoli will be hoping to reclaim the Serie A title they won in the 2022-23 season.

Pioli to Napoli?

According to Daniele Longo of Calciomercato.com, Pioli has been in constant contact with Aurelio De Laurentiis and could soon be officially announced as the new manager. As things stand, Francesco Calzona has been double charged and is unlikely to continue beyond the summer as he will continue managing the Slovakian national side. In this scenario, Pioli comes as a good option with no compensation fee to be paid to Milan as his contract expires in the summer. 

The AC Milan hierarchy is reluctant to extend the deal which left Pioli with no club in the summer. Napoli’s options have also been limited after taking a hit on former AS Roma manager Rudi Garica, who was fired in the mid-season with a flat set of results. 

Garcia was fired after just 16 matches where he secured eight wins, but it was the performance in the big games that left the club vulnerable. Walter Mazzarri was hired as Garcia’s successor, but he too had a poor spell and paid the price. After 17 matches he had six wins and was sacked in favour of Francesco Calzona. 

Napoli’s plan for the future

The club is now planning on its next move and will look to hire Piolia as the perfect replacement who comes with a winning pedigree. During his time at Milan, he helped the club win their first Serie A title in 11 years when they broke the drought in 2022 ahead of Inter Milan, Juventus and Napoli. In his likely final season, AC Milan are destined to finish second in the league. 

Napoli are next in action on Monday when they take on relegation-threatened Udinese with the club being led by former World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro. Napoli can still finish the season as high as fifth in the table but will need all the teams in between to drop points. 

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