Ancelotti fired by Napoli amid reports of potential Premier League return
Napoli fired Carlo Ancelotti on Tuesday, hours after the club qualified for the Champions League knockout stage.
Ancelotti was under intense pressure as Napoli skittered on a nine-match winless run. That came to an end with Tuesday's 4-0 victory over Genk, but the damage was done.
Gennaro Gattuso, who played under Ancelotti at AC Milan, was appointed his successor.
News of Ancelotti's firing could prompt Everton and Arsenal to make a move for the 60-year-old. The Toffees and Gunners have shortlisted Ancelotti as a potential candidate to fill their respective coaching vacancies, The Telegraph's Matt Law, Sam Wallace, and Jason Burt report.
"SSC Napoli has taken the decision to part ways with first-team coach Carlo Ancelotti," the club said in a statement. "The friendship and mutual respect between the club, president Aurelio De Laurentiis, and Carlo Ancelotti remain intact."
Before he was fired, Ancelotti said he would discuss his future with club owner De Laurentiis and that he had no intention of resigning.
"We agreed to have a meeting," he said, according to the Guardian's Ed Aarons. "I hope to stay, but that is a decision the president will make. This team has quality, which they have shown in the Champions League but not in the league. They haven't said anything to me, I was just preparing the match. Will I resign? I've never done that in my life."
While they've looked competitive in Europe, Napoli have unraveled in Serie A. They last won a league match in October, and chaos ensued in November when the players failed to report to a week-long training retreat. At the time, Ancelotti said he didn't agree with the retreat, which De Laurentiis had ordered following a Champions League match against Red Bull Salzburg.
Napoli also operated under a media embargo for several weeks as De Laurentiis sought to keep the club under control. Midfielder Elif Elmas was fined for speaking to the press during the international break.
But the players seemed to have faith in Ancelotti, even as results dried up.
"He's done everything for us," defender Kalidou Koulibaly told Sky Sport Italia on Tuesday. "I am and always will be with him."
Gattuso has now replaced his mentor. Sky Sport Italia's Gianluca Di Marzio says the 41-year-old signed a contract until June 2020 with an option for another year.
The former midfielder left Milan in May after a disagreement with club management. He led the Rossoneri to within a point of the Champions League places last season.
Napoli are currently seventh in Serie A with 21 points from 15 matches.