Napoli ready to pull all stops to lure Antonio Conte
Napoli has just about conceded this season as a throwaway following its Scudetto-winning campaign of 2022/23. The Italian side is currently on its third manager this season. It started with Rudi Garcia, who replaced the outgoing Luciano Spalletti. After the Frenchman’s struggles, Walter Mazzarri stepped in to no avail. He lasted just three months at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. Francesco Calzona has served as the side’s manager in the meantime to a mixed bag of results.
Club president Aurelio de Laurentiis is now already preparing targets to lead the side next season. At the top of that list is Antonio Conte, the former Juventus, Chelsea and Inter Milan manager that seems to regularly find success at various clubs. Conte has been out of a job since March 2023, when he left Tottenham Hotspur after falling in the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League round of 16.
According to reports, Napoli is ready to offer Conte a massive contract to return to Italy as the manager of Gli Azzurri. Some reports indicate Napoli will provide Conte with a contract that provides him $9 million per season for two years. There would be an additional option for a third year, should the club and manager be a good fit for one another.
Conte has spent significant time as a manager in Italy. He has won Serie A four times, as three of those came with Juventus. The most recent was with Inter Milan in the 2020/21 campaign. He also led Inter Milan to the Europa League Final in the 2019/20 season, where Sevilla defeated the Italian club. That, combined with his time in England, makes Conte a valuable manager to any club.
Napoli targets a player to sway Antonio Conte toward new club
The situation at Napoli would not be overly straightforward, though. In the past, Conte has departed clubs because of clashes with the club’s executives. Napoli’s de Laurentiis is one of the most outspoken Presidents in Serie A. While Spalletti departed for personal reasons with a sabbatical, the Napoli President has not been one to hide criticism of managers. That could lead Conte away from the club.
Yet, the owner of the club is already workshopping ways to court Conte. One of those is to bring in Dejan Kulusevski from Tottenham Hotspur. According to multiple reports, Conte is a massive fan of the Swedish international. Conte brought Kulusevski over on loan from Juventus in his first transfer window with Spurs. In that loan spell, Kulusevski thrived in Conte’s formation, which shows that the winger and midfielder can fit if Conte were to use that system at Napoli.
For the club, bringing over Kulusevski would be a way for Conte to feel more comfortable. He would have a way into the dressing room by being closer with one of the players. Plus, Kulusevski would be able to help other Napoli players adjust to Conte’s particular playing style and formations.
There are no guarantees that bringing on Kulusevski would bring Conte aboard. Napoli is a club with stature and funding to bring on players Conte desires, like Kulusevski. Yet, there is no indication as to why the Italian has not returned to the dugout for any other club so far.
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