da poker： Aurelio De Laurentiis has sensationally fallen out with the man who ended the club's 33-year Scudetto drought, and is now looking for a new coach

da dobrowin： Well, it's actually happening. Despite leading Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years, Luciano Spalletti is set to leave the Partenopei at the end of the season. The coach effectively confirmed his departure in an emotional press conference after Sunday's win over Inter.

"The matter has been decided, you don't change your mind every day," he told reporters. "It is a situation that has been brewing for a long time. If you are not convinced that you can give everything these people deserve, it's right to think it over. You think it over, you arrive at a conclusion and then you stick with it. This is not something that just fell from the sky out of nowhere."

The reason for his shock exit is a falling-out with club president Aurelio De Laurentiis, who is already looking for a new manager, with several familiar faces in contention to take over at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

GOAL runs through the leading candidates to succeed Spalletti as the manager of the newly-crowned champions of Italy…

Getty ImagesJulian Nagelsmann

Talk of De Laurentiis turning to Julian Nagelsmann took many by surprise, but it does make some sense. Most importantly of all, he's available after being surprisingly sacked by Bayern Munich during the March international break – and what a disastrous decision that has proven to be. Furthermore, despite his dismissal, he is still regarded as one of the most interesting and innovative young coaches in the game today.

However, this one is unlikely to happen for one very important reason: money. Nagelsmann would demand a hefty pay packet and De Laurentiis appears unwilling to pay more than €6 million (£5.2m/$6.5m) net. It's doubtful that such a salary would satisfy a coach that rates himself as highly as many neutral observers.

AdvertisementGettyThiago Motta

Thiago Motta has come a long way since arousing suspicion and scepticism with talk of a goalkeeper-less 2-7-2 formation during his time in charge of Paris Saint-Germain Under-19s. Indeed, it's probably only a matter of time before the former Italy international is given one of the top jobs in European football, maybe even at the Parc des Princes – or another former stomping ground, San Siro…

However, right now, he's being linked with Napoli on account of the excellent work he's done in his first season at Bologna. Succeeding Sinisa Mihajlovic at the helm was always going to be a difficult job, for a variety of reasons, but Motta has turned the Rossoblu into one of the best footballing sides in Serie A.

He wouldn't just be an attractive option for De Laurentiis because of his style of play, though – he'd also be a less expensive appointment. Still, it feels like this opportunity hasn't quite come at the right time for the 40-year-old, who still has to prove he is as good a manager as he was a player.

Getty ImagesGian Piero Gasperini

The mastermind behind Atalanta's remarkable journey from provincial club to Champions League contenders, Gian Piero Gasperini has been in Bergamo for seven years now and, at 65, there is every chance that he will retire there.

However, like pretty much everyone else in Italian football, De Laurentiis holds Gasperini in the highest esteem and was ready to hire him a decade ago before former boss Walter Mazzarri decided to extend his stay in Naples for another season.

So, is Gasperini likely to leave his beloved Atalanta for Napoli? No. But it's easy to understand why De Laurentiis would be interested in a coach renowned for playing fantastic football with a mix of rejects and raw talents.

(C)Getty ImagesRoberto De Zerbi

Roberto De Zerbi is understandably viewed as the ideal man to replace Spalletti. The pair share a similar view of the game and, as the former has previously proven at Sassuolo, and presently at Brighton, he is capable of achieving incredible results on a relatively small budget. There's also the fact that De Zerbi spent four years on Napoli's books during his playing days.

However, while De Zerbi appears destined to return to the Maradona as coach one day, we might be waiting a while. The Brescia native appears to be quite enjoying his experience in England and has just qualified Brighton for Europe. While some of his star players may leave the Amex Stadium this season, he is likely to stay put.

What's more, when he does eventually decide to depart, it could well be for one of the top jobs in the Premier League, given De Zerbi is currently earning ridiculously high praise from the likes of Pep Guardiola.