Serie A: Napoli project set to continue, with or without Rafa Benitez

Napoli chairman and club owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has insisted that his project for the club will go ahead as planned regardless of who will be the head coach. The future of Spanish coach Rafa Benitez has been in doubt after a rather unconvincing start to the season. Napoli have been eliminated from the Champions League and are currently fourth in the Serie A table, 12 points behind leaders Juventus. “I think we are already strong in Italy and Europe, but it takes patience,” said De Laurentiis. “To be clear, we cannot afford two midfielders who earn between €8-10 million per year. If Benitez will not wait, and show that patience, we will do without him. Look at Chelsea, they are going ahead with without and are doing well. If the project and him don't get along, there will be a reason.” De Laurentiis, a movie mogul outside football, added that he does have big plans for the club, but they won't come into effect until the club manages to secure new revenue streams. “Of course, I need to devise a system that makes me another €150m per year. Then you will see that my Napoli can be competitive,” he said. “I've got some ideas, but I have to resolve the stadium issue with the city, which is a real problem. I'm thinking of involving the fans, of which we have five or six million worldwide. That way you could work with a popular shareholding.” Napoli are currently 5/6 at Bet365 to finish inside the Serie A top three this season.