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With Rafa Benitez holding one foot out the door, time is of the essence for Napoli to find their new manager. By all reports, they've already found their man: current Sampdoria manager Sinisa Mihajlovic.
There have been reports linking Napoli to the high-flying Serb for months, as far back as October when Rafa was first under fire this season. From the start of their managerial search later in the season, Mihajlovic has been either at the forefront of the conversation or at least involved in it, so it's little surprised that now as the end of the season approaches, he's the man everyone is assuming will take the reigns at Napoli.
Even the Corriere dello Sport, a paper with close ties to Napoli, is running a cover story declaring that Mihajlovic will be the next Napoli manager. That declaration is further reported by recent rumors that the structure of a contract has already been agreed with the Serbian manager. Given that recent interviews with Sampdoria president Massimo Ferrero have made him sound resigned to losing Mihajlovic, it's likely that an official announcement will be made not long after the last match of the season.
Bringing on Mihajlovic seems somewhat risky on the surface. He has no European experience as a club manager -- and it's not like his time as the manager of Serbia's dysfunctional team will help him in the Champions or Europa League -- and with how important the continental competitions are for a club like Napoli, utilizing a manager who's a complete unknown on that front is less than ideal.
He's got to get that experience sometime, though, and Mihajlovic seems to be well-respected by his peers. He's considered to be a high-upside manager by many, and certainly worked wonders with a Sampdoria squad that, while it certainly has some good talent on it, has definitely outperformed any and all realistic expectations of it. It's definitely going to be a big experiment if Napoli bring Mihajlovic in, but one that many fans will be eager to watch unfold.