Victor Osimhen could return from injury to find a new coach at the helm of affairs in Napoli as the club are close to parting ways with Rudi Garcia.
Garcia stepped into the role of Napoli manager after Luciano Spaletti walked away from the role thanks to irreconcilable differences with president Aurelio De Laurentiis.
Rudi Garcia has so far failed to show any signs that he can help Napoli retain the title despite the goals from Osimhen so far.
The striker is now watching from the sidelines to see who will train him for the rest of the season.
🚨🔵 Napoli will sack Rudi Garcia today. Decision confirmed, as reported earlier.
…Igor Tudor, main candidate to replace Garcia as new manager. pic.twitter.com/CrlMo9v1SP
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 13, 2023
Igor Tudor in the lead to become next Napoli and Osimhen manager; two others considered possible favourites
Reports from all over Italy have put forth a number of names as potential managers for Osimhen and the reigning Serie A champions.
Former Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Inter Milan and Juventus manager Antonio Conte was reportedly De Laurentiis' favourite for the role until a while ago.
Conte ruled himself out of the job as he did not want to go back into management the same way he did last time, which led to him being jobless at the moment.
Graham Potter was also reportedly on the list of replacement options, as was Marcelo Gallardo. However, Igor Tudor, formerly of Udinese, has been the most repeated name.
Even now that new additions have been made to the list of Rudi Garcia's replacements, Tudor continues to be the reported favourite.
🚨🔵 Napoli have decided to proceed with Igor Tudor as fav candidate for head coach role. Talks will take place today in order to discuss contract, salary and more details.
Tudor will speak to president De Laurentiis in order to get it sealed. pic.twitter.com/456VLfmmp3
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 13, 2023
Here is some info on the men who are making the rounds as the next manager of the highly sought-after Osimhen and his team, Napoli.
Igor Tudor
Igor Tudor, 45, was a defensive midfielder who played football for clubs in Croatia and Italy between 1995 and 2008. He represented Juventus the longest, playing for the Bianconeri between 1998 and 2007.
He started his managerial career at his boyhood club, Hajduk Split, in Croatia. He moved from there to Greece, where he managed PAOK, before moving to Turkey to handle Galatasaray and Karabükspor.
Then his sojourn as a manager in the Italian top flight began, first with Udinese and then as an assistant manager at Juventus in the Andrea Pirlo years. He moved on to manage Hellas Verona for one season before taking the reins at Olympique Marseille last season.
He parted ways with the club and is now close to a return to Italian football as De Laurentiis seeks to correct the mistake of letting Spaletti walk away.
Walter Mazzari
Walter Mazzari was once the manager of Napoli. He handled the club between 2009 and 2013 in a period when their finances threatened to make the club fold up.
He was also the manager in the years that saw Edinson Cavani light up Serie A and break a number of scoring records, which shows that he knows how to handle top strikers like Victor Osimhen.
The 62-year-old knows De Laurentiis well enough and will be able to relate to the septuagenarian's whims, especially in the middle of the season. However, he will most likely be a short-term appointment if he is given the role instead of Igor Tudor.
Fabio Cannavaro
Boyhood Napoli fan Fabio Cannavaro could return to manage the club where he got his big break as a footballer in the coming weeks.
Osimhen may enjoy some level of fame in Napoli for his role in the club's history but there is no more famous Neapolitan footballer than Ballon d'Or winner and FIFA World Cup winning-captain Fabio Cannavaro.
After retiring from the sport in 2011 at Al-Ahli in the UAE, Cannavaro has spent his managerial career in Asia. His first foray into European football management saw him relegated Benevento from Serie B to Serie C last season.
This also indicates that he will be a short-term replacement if he is chosen ahead of Tudor to manage Osimhen and the Napoli squad to save their 2023/24 season.
This article was most recently revised and updated 11 months ago
