Giovanni Manna, Napoli's new sporting director, revealed in an interview with the "Colpi da Maestro" podcast that, at the beginning of his career at the Neapolitan club, he was already thinking of hiring Massimiliano Gasperini as coach, even before considering the arrival of AntonioConte. According to Manna, his first priority was to find a coach with whom to work in synergy, capable of unifying the team and explaining the strategic choices to president AurelioDeLaurentiis.
In 2024, when Manna was still being integrated into Napoli, contacts with Gasperini were already very advanced. The two parties had long discussed how to rebuild the squad after the season in which the club had finished tenth in Serie A. Meetings had been organized in Turin and videos had been exchanged with DeLaurentiis to outline a shared project. At first Gasperini seemed willing to leave Atalanta after eight years of work, but the extraordinary victory in the Europa League pushed him to stay. His supporter Antonio Percassi convinced him to continue, and Napoli then decided to focus on Conte, who has brought notable results in the last two years.
However, Gasperini's proposal to Napoli did not materialize. In 2025, Gasperini's situation at Atalanta changed: his stay lasted just a year, and the spring of 2025 saw the start of new talks for a possible transfer. The negotiations with Juventus ended in a negative way, especially after a meeting with the French manager Comolli, who expressed doubts about the possibility of hiring Gasperini. On the contrary, thanks to the intervention of ClaudioRanieri, Gasperini was convinced to take command of Roma, a choice that aroused great interest throughout Serie A.
In summary, Manna confirmed that his first choice was Gasperini, but circumstances and the decisions of other clubs prevented the realization of that project. Now, with Conte at the helm, Napoli prepares for a new season, while Gasperini continues to lead Roma, carrying forward his tactical vision and seeking to consolidate the team in Serie A.