Antonio Conte has confirmed he will leave Napoli following the club’s final game of the Serie A season on Sunday.
The announcement came during a press conference alongside Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis after the club’s final-day victory over Udinese.
Conte took charge of Napoli in the summer of 2024 and guided the club to a fifth Serie A title in his first season at the helm. The Italian had previously won three league titles with Juventus and another with Inter Milan.
However, Napoli were unable to replicate that success this season, eventually finishing second in the table, 11 points behind champions Inter.
Conte opens up on exit
Explaining his departure, Conte admitted tensions had developed within the squad and behind the scenes during the campaign.
“After Bologna, I sensed some situations I didn’t like, and even there, it takes guts to speak your mind,” Conte said.
“I’ve never been one for mediocre seasons, and I never will be. I was even prepared to step aside; certainly, some new signings didn’t gel with the existing squad, and some very difficult dynamics had developed that needed to be addressed.”
The former Chelsea and Tottenham manager said discussions with players and club officials ultimately convinced him his cycle at Napoli had reached its conclusion.
“I was lucky enough to have a group I could be straight with, we sorted things out, telling each other that we had to pull together, and we set off again,” Conte added.
“I rang the chairman a month ago; I didn’t want to hear anything else and told him, ‘Given the friendship we share, I feel that my time here is coming to an end.’ The decision was mine.”
