Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 8y

Napoli owner critical of Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuain in open letter

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has hit back at Gonzalo Higuain after the Argentina forward blamed the breakdown in the relationship for his decision to join Juventus.

Higuain thanked everybody at Napoli and the whole city of Naples for three unforgettable years there, but he criticised De Laurentiis and accused him of pushing him out of the door after completing a €90 million transfer to the Bianconeri.

In a letter posted on Napoli's website, De Laurentiis exerted his right to reply and condemned Higuain's words.

"Dear fans of Napoli, dear lovers of football, I've read Gonzalo Gerardo Higuain's comments in the news conference arranged by Juventus and I would like to touch on how he said that the reason he left was my fault," De Laurentiis wrote.

"I've reflected a long time as to whether these remarks warranted a reply, since it is clear to everybody what the truth actually is. In the end, I thought it was best to say the following, to go on the record in future. This is my reply.

"1) If Mr Gonzalo Gerardo Higuain was so annoyed by my presence, it took him many years to realise it, unless he is a false person and a great actor -- but I would exclude this last eventuality because I am an expert when it comes to actors.

"2) We spent a lot of time together, even recently, for example on April 15 when we tried to reduce his four-game suspension while we were in the hunt for the Scudetto. I can assure you that on that day, Gonzalo was very serene and did not show any signs of suffering in my presence, as the people who were with us can testify.

"3) Why is it that his agent never showed any impatience when we met to discuss his contract renewal, and this happened a lot in this last year? If they were truly so intolerant of my presence, they would not have spent hours discussing money -- lots of money -- with great interest and willingness.

"4) Does it not seem a bit shameful when your agent says that the team you were playing in, the team who put you in a condition to score 38 goals, were not good enough? Is it not a disgrace to say, basically, that Gonzalo's teammates were rubbish, considering that Napoli were the team who had the most number of chances in Italy -- a fundamental condition to allow a striker to score many goals?

"5) Trying to explain that moving into a new family was my fault is disrespectful to the people of Naples. If Higuain had read the history of Napoli, he would discover that this city is the only one to have freed itself from the Nazis by itself, before the Americans arrived and found the city free already when they marched in. You can betray these people if you have no shame, but you cannot take the p--- out of them."

Meanwhile, Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri has thanked his club for gifting him with the tools he needs to help take the Italian champions onto an even higher level next season.

Five new additions have been made to a squad which has already won five straight Serie A titles, and Allegri paid tribute to their transfer activities at a news conference in Hong Kong on Friday.

"[Gonzalo] Higuain is a great signing, as is [Miralem] Pjanic, Dani Alves, [Marko] Pjaca and [Medhi] Benatia -- the club has done great things in the transfer market," Allegri said. "We've got a very competitive squad, but that doesn't mean we can take it for granted we're going to get results. We've still got to work a lot to win."

Argentinian forward Paulo Dybala also gave his welcome to his compatriot Higuain, who reinforces a front line which also includes Mario Mandzukic and Simone Zaza.

"I got to know Higuain while on international duty and our friendship was born there," Dybala said. "We exchanged a lot of messages these days and he told me he wanted to come here. Now I'm delighted that he's here and we're all delighted to welcome a champion like him.

The Bianconeri have made no secret of their ambitions for the coming season with five high-profile arrivals underlining their desire to convert their domestic dominance into similar success in Europe.

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