Gennaro Gattuso and president Aurelio De Laurentiis reached agreement on a two-year extension, plus one further optional season, on October 30th, 66 days ago, but the manager has yet to put pen to paper and is taking his time to fully evaluate the situation, Repubblica reported today.
The gaffer and the owner have come to terms on the initial sticking points, like the release clauses – that were dropped – the salary, and the image rights. However, Gattuso is mulling whether it is really the case to sign a long-term for a variety of reasons, the newspaper indicates.
First of all, his ability is too often called into question by the fans whenever the Partenopei are not successful, their mood is too seesawing and the difficulties the squad is going through, for instance the lengthy absences of Victor Osimhen and Dries Mertens, are rarely taken into consideration while assessing the performances.
Moreover, he is aware that the lofty aspirations of the supporters clash with the economic situation of the outfit, which is looking to cut the payroll by €40/50M in the near future, therefore he wants the objectives of to be made public before committing till 2023, rather than serving as the scapegoat later on.
The two sides will reconvene in the near future and the extension does not seem in jeopardy, but it would not be first time Gattuso backed down from a deal because he was not totally comfortable.