Napoli president discusses the club’s next coach, De Bruyne, Lukaku and the stadium situation during the presentation of the club’s summer training camps, producing another memorable media appearance filled with colorful remarks and unexpected interruptions.
If there is one certainty in Italian football, it is that whenever Aurelio De Laurentiis steps in front of a microphone, something memorable is bound to happen.
The Napoli president was speaking during the presentation of the club’s summer training camps in Dimaro and Castel di Sangro, but the event quickly turned into another classic De Laurentiis show. Between ringing phones, sharp one-liners, provocative comments and his trademark unpredictability, the outgoing Italian champions’ owner once again dominated the headlines.
The main topic, inevitably, was the identity of Napoli’s next head coach following Antonio Conte’s departure. While everyone expects Massimiliano Allegri to take charge, De Laurentiis refused to make any official announcement.
“Today Napoli does not have a coach,” he said with a smile. “And even if we did have one, I would not be able to announce him. I will be able to do that when the regulations allow me to. I am not someone who goes outside the rules. When it becomes possible to announce him, we will do so.”
It was a statement that effectively confirmed what everyone already knows while technically confirming nothing at all—a typical De Laurentiis performance that drew laughter from those in attendance.
The president then turned his attention to Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, whose recent comments had generated discussion among supporters and the Italian media.
“They made statements that can be acceptable or questionable, depending on your point of view,” De Laurentiis explained. “We will see when we start working what they have to say. When you work, you show your physical and mental condition.”
Never one to avoid a headline-grabbing remark, he added another memorable line that immediately became one of the quotes of the day.
“We will see what the new coach thinks. Then, if they have to leave, they will leave. What is the problem? The world is full of footballers.”
The comment was delivered with De Laurentiis’ usual bluntness, reinforcing his long-standing philosophy that no player is bigger than the club.
Despite Conte’s departure, the Napoli president reserved warm words for the coach who led the club through a difficult season.
“We must not forget his great ability to deal with all the incidents that can happen during a season,” De Laurentiis said. “This year they happened in very large numbers. He was always up to the situation, managing to solve every problem that perhaps we thought would be difficult to solve.”
The conference also produced an interesting revelation regarding Napoli’s start to the upcoming Serie A campaign.
“I can announce that we will start the season away from home,” he revealed. “Because I need to give time after the concerts for the pitch at the Maradona to recover.”
That statement quickly led to another passionate discussion about the stadium situation in Naples, an issue that has long frustrated the club owner.
“We must talk about my relationship with the city, the municipality and the region regarding the stadium problem, which is not a small problem,” he said. “You want to be considered a big club, but when I said that the Maradona was a toilet when Mr. Ancelotti arrived, my opinion has not changed.”
In true De Laurentiis fashion, the president saved one final colorful quote for the end.
“You cannot solve the problems of the Maradona with a little patch job, even if you spend 200 million euros,” he said. “We will hold a specific press conference about the stadium. As for the training center, there are no problems.”
As if the comments themselves were not entertaining enough, the event was repeatedly interrupted by the now-famous ringing phone that seems to accompany every De Laurentiis appearance. Much like during Conte’s farewell press conference, the constant interruptions became part of the spectacle, creating moments of laughter among journalists and reinforcing the impression that when De Laurentiis speaks, normal press conference rules simply do not apply.
Allegri may still be waiting for his official unveiling, but Napoli supporters already received what they expected from their president: a mix of mystery, confidence, controversy and entertainment.
In Naples, even a routine press conference rarely stays routine for long.
