Ancelotti a 'real coup' for Napoli as Insigne thanks Sarri

Shocked by Napoli's ability to lure Carlo Ancelotti to the Serie A club, star forward Lorenzo Insigne welcomed the Italian great's arrival, while he thanked former boss Maurizio Sarri.

Former Bayern Munich and Real Madrid coach Ancelotti was appointed on a three-year contract on Wednesday, replacing fan favourite Sarri.

Sarri – who guided Napoli to their second runners-up finish in three seasons this term – has been linked with Premier League giants Chelsea and Russian side Zenit.

Italy international Insigne lauded the capture of ex-AC Milan boss Ancelotti – a Serie A and Champions League winner during his tenure at San Siro – as Napoli look to take the next step in 2018-19 and claim their first Scudetto since 1990.

"I wish Carlo Ancelotti all the best and hopefully he can help us," Insigne told Sky Sport Italia.

"He's a great coach. I didn't expect this, but we know our president [Aurelio De Laurentiis] has these cards up his sleeve. The arrival of Ancelotti is a real coup, he's a great tactician.

"As for Sarri, we can only thank him. He gave us so much and taught something to all of us. We've all improved under his tenure and that is thanks to him."

Insigne flourished under Sarri's leadership, scoring eight Serie A goals and tallying 11 assists in 2017-18.

The 26-year-old finished with 14 goals across all competitions.