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Walter Mazzarri's Napoli departure paves way for outgoing Chelsea boss Rafa Benitez
CHELSEA interim manager Rafa Benitez headed straight for the tunnel following his last game in charge of the Blues, and may now be set to replace Napoli manager Walter Mazzarri in Serie A.
Benitez had already instructed his agent to start the search for a new job before Chelsea's Europa League triumph in Amsterdam, which ensured at least some of the club's support bid him a happy farewell.
Although Benitez's insists the majority of fans backed his leadership by the end of the season - proven via grateful comments on his own website - he was always just 'interim manager' but can at least leave Stamford Bridge with his pride intact.
And the Spanish tactician may be about to walk straight into his next job, after Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri stepped down from the Italian club after leading them to a second-place finish in the league.
"I won't be the coach of Napoli next season," Mazzarri told Italian TV network RAI.
"I think I've got the most out of this group of players. My cycle at Napoli has ended.
"They have been four fantastic years, [and] I want to thank the lads and everyone who has been close to me.
"Napoli is a great club to work at and I'm leaving because I need a new challenge and so do the players."
Talismanic striker Edinson Cavani is expected to leave the club this summer, and his transfer fee - rumoured to reach as high as £50 million - is set to be handed to Mazzarri's successor to rebuild the Naples-based squad.
And that man could be Benitez - who is the overwhelming favourite with bookmakers to take the post - now he has finished his short spell with Chelsea.