Parma President Tommaso Ghirardi is convinced that Coach Roberto Donadoni will remain at the club.
Parma President Tommaso Ghirardi is convinced that Coach Roberto Donadoni will remain at the club.
The tactician has guided the Gialloblu to a sixth place Serie A finish and with it Europa League qualification, provided they can secure a UEFA licence.
However, this has caused the former Italy boss to be linked with the Milan hotseat, with Clarence Seedorf widely expected to leave San Siro.
Despite the links with the Rossoneri, the President insisted no contact had been made between the parties and also stressed the club do not feel obliged to sell their best players.
“I am convinced Donadoni will stay,” Ghirardi told Radio Parma. “I have discussed things with my Coach and he told me that no one has contacted him.
“His staff are already preparing for next season and they are talking with him about next season.
“Cassano? I have to say he was great. He took a pay cut to come here and he has had his rewards.
“Leonardi also deserves a lot of credit in this Parma. You win together and lose together, Leonardi represents the club.
“But the credit goes to all the players, the club and the staff.
“Our star players are not for sale, no one has asked to be let go of. They are important players and we will assess everything with them, the offers that come in and their own individual will.
“But we are in no way obliged to sell them.”
Ghirardi was then asked how he would go about preparing a team to compete in next season’s Europa League, assuming the Gialloblu are cleared to play in it.
“We will bring back the players who have been out on-loan this season, for example those who have been at Crotone, Perugia, Latina and Nova Gorica. We are convinced that we can put together a good squad.
“I hope we can get through the preliminary rounds. The Italian teams have shown they can do well in Europe when they play their first 11.
“If you don’t believe and play the reserves instead you can come into difficulty. So I am hoping we can get through the qualifiers, then be major players in the Group Stage.”