NAPLES – “A month ago I called the president and I didn’t ask for anything. I told him: ‘Because of the friendship we have, my journey here is coming to an end.’ I didn’t need to know anything else because I had already made my decision.”
Following Napoli’s final Serie A match against Udinese, Antonio Conte officially announced his departure from the club during a press conference held alongside president Aurelio De Laurentiis.
Conte reflected on what he considered his biggest failure during his time in Naples. “At Napoli I failed in one thing: I wasn’t able to create unity. And without unity it becomes difficult to compete with the other teams. Too much poison spread around this squad, and Napoli doesn’t need failures spreading negativity around the team.”
The former Italy coach also revisited his emotional outburst after the Bologna match last November. “What I felt then was that there were situations I didn’t like. I had the character to say that I didn’t want to go through anonymous seasons, and I was ready to step aside even then. Some of the new signings didn’t immediately connect with the existing group, but later we spoke honestly with the players and realised we were all in the same boat.”
“When things can’t be changed, I step aside,” Conte added. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to have coached Napoli and I thank president De Laurentiis, who until the very last moment gave me the chance to reconsider.”
The Salento-born manager admitted he experienced his time in Naples intensely. “I lived this experience passionately and the Napoli supporters understood me. I don’t think we would have won the title even without injuries — Inter deserved it and performed better than us, including in Europe.”
Despite the disappointment, Conte described his two years at Napoli as “fantastic”.
“Naples is a city that can compete at the highest level if there is unity. I inherited a squad traumatised after finishing tenth, and only I know how much psychological work was needed to rebuild them,” he said.
“When I accepted the Napoli job, I thought I was entering a situation where I could enjoy the results a little more. Instead, I quickly realised that my arrival automatically raised expectations and ambitions. We had just finished tenth and yet people immediately started saying we had to win the Scudetto simply because we weren’t playing in Europe.”
“I thought I’d be able to enjoy it more, but instead I had to keep pushing nonstop just to survive. I brought this team back to a high level. It cost me a lot of energy, but I believe we achieved something important and historic. I thank the president for this wonderful experience.”
President Aurelio De Laurentiis confirmed that Conte had informed him of his decision a month earlier.
“Conte asked to meet me and told me that cycles come to an end,” De Laurentiis said. “Napoli cannot be Barcelona, Real Madrid or one of the top English clubs — we have a budget to respect.”
He also pointed to broader issues within Italian football. “The quality of Serie A has declined, and there are also difficulties linked to the federation and complications involving agents. In the next few days we will begin working on the appointment of a new coach. The team will remain competitive.”
As for Conte’s future, speculation has already linked him with the Italian national team.
Responding to the rumours, Conte said: “People are talking. I clearly remember what I said: if I were president of the Italian Football Federation, I would include Antonio Conte among the candidates, because I’ve already done it before.”
He added: “Guardiola’s name has also been mentioned, but is the federation really ready for a top coach? If you want a world-class manager, my advice is to hire Guardiola.”
