Antonio Conte, the former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur manager, has been appointed as the new head coach of Napoli on a three-year deal reportedly worth USD 8.7 million per season.
In a bid to get 2022-23 Serie A champions back on track, Napoli has decided to hire one of the most decorated coaches. Notably, Napoli finished at the 10th rank with 13 wins and 11 losses in the 2023-24 Serie A edition after claiming the title in the previous season.
It’s worth noting that Conte has had an illustrious coaching career, propelling Chelsea to the Premier League title win in his first season in 2016-17 and helping the side to win the FA Cup in his second season before being sacked in 2018.
Antonio Conte, who also guided Inter Milan to its first Serie A title in 2021, is excited to be back as the manager for the first time in 16 months. Notably, he has not managed any team since he left Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur in March 2023.
“Napoli is a place of global importance. I am happy and excited at the idea of sitting on the blue bench,” Conte said.
“I can certainly promise one thing, I will do my utmost for the growth of the team and the club. My commitment, together with that of my staff, it will be total,” Conte added.
With Napoli under performing in the 2023-24 season, Slovakia manager Francesco Calzona joined the club in February 2024 on a short-term deal until the end of the season. Earlier, Walter Mazzarri was sacked as the manager of the club after just three months of being in charge.
Moreover, the Italian coach guided the Juventus club to three Serie A title wins in a row between 2011 to 2014.
Napoli’s president and owner, Aurelio De Laurentiis posted on X (formerly Twitter) with a picture of Conte signing his contract. Furthermore, Aurelio stated that he is confident of the new manager taking the club to newer heights in the future.
“I’m so proud that Antonio Conte is Napoli’s new coach,” stated club president Aurelio De Laurentiis.
“Antonio is a top coach and a leader, so I’m convinced that we’ll be able to rebuild the foundations in the way that we need to following the conclusion of the cycle that led us to Scudetto glory last year after many years at the top of Italian football. An important, new chapter in Napoli’s history gets under way today,” he added.
