‘He looks like me’: Fabio Capello hails manager who could reportedly replace Nuno at Wolves

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Fabio Capello believes Napoli boss Gennaro Gattuso can be a top-level manager but must learn to ‘bite his tongue’ amid reports linking the Italian with Wolverhampton Wanderers, as he told Il Mattino. 

Then again, an abrasive approach to management didn’t do Capello himself much harm.

One of the most decorated managers of the modern era lifted silverware with Roma, Barcelona, Juventus and AC Milan during a storied coaching career.

The great Zlatan Ibrahimovic even credits Capello’s speak-as-you-see-it, no-holds-barred communication skills for ‘transforming’ him from a precocious youngster into an elite-level superstar.

Whether Gattuso can emulate Capello’s success, however, remains to be seen.

Despite guiding Napoli to Coppa Italia glory in June 2020, Tuttomercatoweb reports that the World Cup winner is likely to be sacked by the Partenopei at the end of this season.

Yet Gattuso won’t have too long to wait for new offers to arrive.

The report adds that Wolves are considering a clean break after an underwhelming campaign at Molineux, with the 43-year-old lined up to replace a jaded-looking Nuno Espirito Santo at Molineux.

While Gattuso has come under criticism with Napoli sitting fifth in the Serie A table, Capello believes one of Europe’s up-and-coming coaches deserves the benefit of the doubt.  

“Napoli must have many, many, regrets. It’s a real shame because all the injuries have not allowed the team to express itself as Gattuso would have liked. Think of Inter Milan; what would have happened what if Lukaku or Lautaro had been out for a month or two?” Capello explained. 

“On one aspect, it seems to me that (Gattuso) is very similar to me.

“(My approach was) I am the coach, you are the player. Everyone must stay in his place and give the best of himself. Maybe even managing to overcome his own limitations. That is enough for me.

“And in this, Gattuso, I think he looks quite like me. Even if he has to learn to bite his tongue because, even if you are correct, you have to be careful, be softer at certain times.”

If Wolves fear that things have grown somewhat stale under Nuno, who has been in charge since 2018, than Gattuso would certainly shake up the dressing room – for better or for worse.