Spiting Chelsea is Aurelio de Laurentiis’ only joy in life
By George Perry
On the same day he called agents “the cancer of our domain,” Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis thumbed his nose at Chelsea yet again over the failed Kalidou Koulibaly transfer. He could almost be a sympathetic character if he wasn’t powered by spite.
If Serie A has any interest in preserving what little good is left of their reputation, they will put a muzzle on Aurelio de Laurentiis. The Napoli owner reserves a special place of pique for Chelsea, but will happily parade his outrage at the English and global game.
The Telegraph gave de Laurentiis an early Christmas present with their sting / entrapment operation against Sam Allardyce and others in English football. Speaking at the Leaders Sport Business summit, de Laurentiis opened the aperture of his attacks.
De Laurentiis labeled agents “the cancer of our domain.” He channeled the high dudgeon he felt after watching the Sam Allardyce recording. Seething at the perfidious influence agents have in their quest for money and how their greed affects others in the sport, he then mounted his moral high horse.
“In the last few days of the transfer market, I refused 58 million from Chelsea for Koulibaly,” he told SkySports.
When asked if anyone at Chelsea could confirm that, he replied: “He will never say it is true because I know Antonio. Ciao Antonio.”
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Over the summer, de Laurentiis dangled Kalidou Koulibaly in front of the Blues. After every Chelsea overture or bid, he publicly mocked Chelsea’s attempt at matching his previously stated price.
In the classic words of Buster Bluth, it’s like he gets off on being withholding. Aurelio de Laurentiis was not content to state simply and unequivocally that Napoli would not sell Koulibaly. He willfully kept the door open just enough to attract offers he could shoot down.
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Serie A has fallen well down the pyramid of European football both financially and in the quality of play. The Premier League and Bundesliga far outpace the Italian league in popularity, revenue and attracting top players and coaches.
Part of Serie A’s decline is that the league and its clubs have not attracted foreign investors and owners. Only Inter, AS Roma and Bologna are owned by non-Italians. Stubbornly domestic ownership limits the cash infusion that new, astronomically wealthy foreign investors can bring to a club. It also restricts the geographical appeal of the club to sponsors and viewing audiences.
Serie A’s place in the European football pyramid is experiencing the same dynamics that have snowballed in English football for the last 20 years. The gaps between Premier League teams and those in the bottom half of the Championship or in the lower divisions grow every year. Within the Premier League itself, there is a widening gap between Champions League qualifiers and non-qualifiers.
Serie A now sees Bundesliga and the Premier League going truly global. The Eredivisie is becoming an incubator of talent. De Laurentiis sees this happening and blames the system.
De Laurentiis’ resentment may stem from patriotism, nationalism or simply nostalgia. If Napoli’s fans and those of other Serie A clubs share those values, and accept the consequences of those choices (i.e., reduced Champions League slots, lower-profile players and coaches), then he has little reason to change.
But as a business proposition, Aurelio de Laurentiis’ ranting and spiting is unbecoming and unattractive to anyone who may want to get involved. Chelsea should forego any future dealings with Napoli. Other clubs may do the same because it is not worth the drama. Napoli, Serie A and the Italian game will be increasingly isolated, except for those Italian players whose careers take a one-way trip away from home.
Perhaps that is part of de Laurentiis’ plan to make Serie A great again. Or at the very least, to keep it the way it is.
Next: Branislav Ivanovic trying to make sense of his situation at Chelsea
Decline and stagnation are choices. It’s increasingly hard to escape the conclusion that Aurelio de Laurentiis has made a choice but has not made his peace with the consequences.