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Carlo Ancelotti had an agreement with Everton in place before he left Napoli in December 2019, contrary to the notion he was sacked by the Italian club.

That’s according to their former press offer Massimo Sparnelli, who says claims he was removed by Aurelio de Laurentiis are untrue.

Ancelotti joined Everton on December 22st 2019, making a quick return to management after being sacked by Napoli just 11 days previously.

The story is that Everton simply moved quickly to secure the Italian as they sought a replacement for Marco Silva that month.

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However, this has been regularly refuted in Italy, where several sources have insisted that Ancelotti was already in contact with the Toffees before his sacking in Naples.

Earlier this week we covered comments from Italian journalist Umberto Chiarello, who, while accusing Gennaro Gattuso of hypocrisy, insisted anyone who claimed Ancelotti had contact with other clubs was a liar.

Now, Sparnelli has had his say on the matter, claiming that the departure from Napoli was all the Italians’ doing.

“I have to deny a piece of news that has been circulating for too long now. Carlo Ancelotti has never been sacked by Napoli,” he told Tele A, relayed by Area Napoli.

“We have to stop telling this story. When the team wasn’t doing well, the president said to the coach: ‘Carlé, what should we do? This is the team…’.

“The coach from Reggiolo understood that the relationship was coming to an end.

“Carlo Ancelotti told Aurelio De Laurentiis that he already had an agreement with another team. The coach had a total understanding with Everton.

“He first broke with the Campania management and then landed in the Premier League.”