Napoli finalize agreement with Antonio Conte to be head coach
Antonio Conte is preparing to join SSC Napoli as their head coach ahead of the 2024/25 season, per multiple sources.
The 54-year-old has reached full agreement with the Naples-based club, from his backroom staff to image rights and beyond. According to reports in Italy, Conte will sign a three-year contract and be unveiled as the Napoli boss on Monday.
It will be a statement from Napoli, who have seen three managers depart since Luciano Spalletti steered them to their first league title in 33 years.
Conte, a self-proclaimed ‘serial winner’, will sign for Napoli in a deal understood to be worth €7m plus €1m in bonuses.
The Partenopei were linked with Stefano Pioli, Vincenzo Italiano and even Europa League-winning coach Gian Piero Gasperini, but seem to have convinced the former Chelsea boss to sign for them.
Conte is one of the finest coaches in Italy in the modern era. His stubborn Juventus team were unbreachable in his three years there, delivering a hattrick of Serie A titles.
He laid the groundwork for Juventus to become a household European name, as his team conceded just 101 goals in his 151 games in charge. He would then go on to end their dominance by signing for Inter Milan, who won their first league trophy since 2010 under his tutelage.
Conte also enjoyed his time at Chelsea, winning the Premier League in his very first season in England, taking the Blues from 10th place to the very top the year after. Even though he added an FA Cup to his trophy-laden cabinet, disagreements over transfers and fractured relationships with a few players led to his downfall.
Conte will return to management for the first time since he left Tottenham Hotspur in March 2023 by mutual consent.
   Given his pedigree and ruthless nature as a tactician, there’s no doubt the former Italy manager will improve on Napoli’s 10th-place finish. In fact, he’ll be looking to topple the reigning champions of Italy if things go according to plan. And once again, it will be a club he led to the top previously.
-Roy Akarshak
Twitter: @RoyAkarshak
Photo: Clement Bucco-Lechat. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.