Napoli president criticises Maurizio Sarri following Chelsea appointment

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 14 July 2018

Aurelio De Laurentiis does not believe that Maurizio Sarri got the best out of Napoli's squad when attempting to hold off Juventus in the Serie A title race.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has accused Maurizio Sarri of making "errors in judgement" throughout last season.

Sarri was confirmed as Chelsea's new manager on Saturday morning following drawn-out talks, nearly two months after being replaced by Carlo Ancelotti at the Stadio San Paolo.

The 59-year-old fell just short of earning Napoli a first Serie A title since 1990, finishing behind Juventus with an impressive tally of 91 points, but De Laurentiis has suggested that all was not well behind the scenes.

"Last season was distorted and snatched from us: we belong to what [former Italian actor] Toto called The Band of Honest Men," he said.

"That aside, there were errors in judgement throughout the season, the ability to be able to use the squad fully. Still, I don't want to get into a technical speech or reopen any wounds that have healed."

Chelsea were made to pay Napoli a compensation fee to buy out Sarri's contract, which still had a year left to run.