Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis has laid out his problems with Maurizio Sarri after the coach's bitter move to Chelsea.

De Laurentiis admits he had major problems with Sarri in their final months together.

He said, “I only allowed Sarri to go to Chelsea after signing a written pact with him: don't go for any of our players, except Jorginho.

“There was a fight with no exchanging of blows - or only partially - to take some of our other players but they didn't succeed. Then they signed a non-belligerence pact.

“My problems with Sarri? If you have players with a €60m release clause and you don't play them you damage yourself and the team.

“You end up going out of the cup competitions because no-one can fight on two fronts with 11 or 12 starters.

“You can't declare that you're abandoning [Europe] in the media. I rebuked Sarri and he tried to go and play in Leipzig after losing 3-1 at home, but it was too late.

“I realised it was over when he told me: 'I don't know if I can do better with these players'. Sarri had reached the stage where a Coach thinks about himself or tries to earn himself a golden pension.

“I asked him what he wanted to do this year right up to the last game, but he didn't answer. I noted a certain rudeness in that silence, but I wasn't offended."

Yet just last season De Laurentiis was describing his Coach as a genius…

“True, but his genius is a bit monothematic. I only ever saw him play one way, let's see what he does in England.

“Over the past six years he's matured more that in the previous 30. A complete Coach not only enterains, but also has to win."