Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has revealed how Jurgen Klopp, a Spanish coach and Sinisa Mihajlovic were all ahead of Maurizio Sarri on his wishlist for a new manager in the summer, until he got to know the former Empoli boss.
Napoli's approach for Klopp -- who is expected to become Liverpool's new manager this week -- was rejected by the former Borussia Dortmund coach, who was intent on taking a break after stepping down from his role with the Westphalian club.
Mihajlovic held talks with De Laurentiis before opting for AC Milan, after the Napoli president had already lost his patience with the Serbian.
"I'd thought of Klopp and a Spanish coach to keep things going, also because we have a lot of Spanish players, and then there were Mihajlovic and Sarri," film producer De Laurentiis told Mediaset.
"I liked Sinisa's determination, but the second time I met him he said to me, 'President, you've disappeared for two weeks.'
"He said it in a very polite way, but it was as if I had to be at his beck and call 24 hours a day -- as if with cinema, theme parks, China and the USA I had nothing else to do.
"So I thought I needed a humble professor like Sarri. Then I got to know him and found out that he's someone who also likes to read. We needed somebody who didn't only think of football. I was impressed by his intelligent simplicity. He's also sophisticated."
De Laurentiis stood by Sarri after a difficult start to the season, when he was being criticised by the club's fans as well as Diego Maradona, and the results are now starting to arrive for the Azzurri, including Sunday night's 4-0 win over AC Milan at the San Siro.
"It's an important 4-0 win for many Neapolitans who live in the north and have to live with being ridiculed -- this time it was them who could hold their heads high for once," added De Laurentiis, who preferred not to mention winning the Scudetto.
"I'm very superstitious, but it's not a problem. The fans can say anything they like, but the president has got to keep his feet on the ground. There are plenty of obstacles along the way and we're up against plenty of rivals. There can be injuries, suspensions -- there are so many variables in football."
Sunday's win lifted Napoli to sixth in Serie A, six points behind the league leaders Fiorentina, who they welcome to the Stadio San Paolo in their next fixture on Oct. 18.