Newcastle United enter race for Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso

05 May 2021 21:00

Newcastle United are assessing their managerial options ahead of next season, and they are believed to be interested in bringing SSC Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso to the Premier League.

The Magpies have flirted with relegation all season under Steve Bruce, but they are now edging to safety, sitting nine points clear of the drop zone with four games left. The pressure is on owner Mike Ashley to replace Bruce in the summer, and one surprising name has been thrown into the hat.

Gattuso could be in line for the Newcastle job | Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images

According to Calciomercato.it, the name of Gattuso is in the running to become the Newcastle manager next season, after the club entered the race 'in the past few hours' for the under pressure Napoli boss.

Gattuso has coached I Partenopei since December 2019, and although he has delivered success in the form of the 2020 Coppa Italia, his reign has often been shrouded in doubt and uncertainty. His contract also expires at the end of the season, and there is little suggestion that he will be offered an extension.

Owner Aurelio De Laurentiis is a tough man to please, and he's likely to allow Gattuso to walk away in the summer, despite him guiding Napoli into a Champions League qualification battle.

Should Gattuso fail to deliver a top-four finish, then it would almost definitely spell the end of his time in Naples, and there are many clubs queueing up to snatch the former Milan coach. Fiorentina have already shown interest in hiring the 43-year-old this summer, but attention from abroad could see the Italian make a move to the Premier League.

Gattuso has long been under pressure at Napoli | Getty Images/Getty Images

Newcastle are one of two English clubs to be considering the World Cup winner, with Wolverhampton Wanderers also keeping an eye on his movement. Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo is not under pressure at Molineux, but there may be a feeling that their time together has reached a natural end.

Should Santo move on, Wolves would need a backup plan, and they are believed to have already 'consolidated' their interest in Gattuso.


Source: 90min