The soap opera ends. After weeks of discussions, negotiations and guesses, Naples have finally got their hands on their future coach and it’s a local: Antonio Conte. 10th in Serie A and not qualified for the European Cup next season, the Campania club will therefore have a fifth technician on its bench in the space of twelve months. This season, Rudi Garcia, Walter Mazzarri and Francesco Calzona had already taken turns to replace Luciano Spalletti, hero who led the club to the roof of Italy last year, before taking the helm of the Squadra Azzura.
This Wednesday, it was through a press release that Naples formalized the arrival of Antonio Conte until 2027: “SSC Napoli welcomes Antonio Conte who takes on the role of first team coach after signing a contract that will bind him to the Club until June 30, 2027.” President Aurelio De Laurentiis welcomed this arrival: “I am very proud that the new coach of Naples is Antonio Conte. Antonio is a top coach, a leader, with whom I am sure that the necessary rebuilding can begin after the conclusion of the cycle that led us to win the scudetto last year. after many seasons at the top of Italian football. Today, an important new chapter in the history of Naples opens.”
A reputation to restore
Reference in Italy, where he shone at the head of Juventus Turin (2011-2014) by winning three Calcio (2012, 2013, 2014), then Inter (2019-2021), with whom he also won the Championship in 2021 after 11 years of waiting, Conte on the other hand saw his status weaken in England. If his time at Chelsea undoubtedly remains a success (2016-2018), his adventure on the Tottenham bench ended in reverse. After clashes via the media with his management, and his cholecystitis operation, the 54-year-old technician left the club by mutual agreement in March 2023.
Refreshed and reinvigorated, Conte will now have the ambition to put Naples back among the best clubs in Italy. Among the files at the top of his pile will inevitably appear that of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, announced at the start, but which the Italian wants to keep at all costs. What about the future of Victor Osimhen? Extended until 2026, the Nigerian remains one of the most sought-after attackers on the continent and seems closer to leaving than staying today. In recent days, the Italian press indicated that Aurelio De Laurentiis was considering allocating an envelope of 230 million euros to Conte for the transfer window. So you will have to make the right choices.
