After a sparkling start, the relationship between Antonio Conte and Napoli began to falter as of last January. The transfer campaign carried out by Aurelio De Laurentiis‘ club certainly did not meet the title ambitions of the Lecce-born coach, who is still fully engaged in the battle for the top of the league standings alongside Inter and Atalanta.
Following the sale of Kvaratskhelia, an adequate replacement was never brought in—but instead only Okafor, in a desperate last-minute market attempt. This explains the fury of the former Inter manager and the consequent reflections on his future in Naples. According to Tancredi Palmeri on Sportitalia, these frictions could lead to a serious split at the end of this season.
The journalist expressed this in his editorial: The unthinkable has happened, because truthfully speaking, there is a strong cohesion with both the environment and the players. The atmosphere in the city and among supporters is vibrant and inspiring, just the way he likes it and always wants it to be. Essentially, Antonio Conte fits perfectly in Naples and a club like Napoli. Although, to be fair, he has always felt comfortable everywhere he’s been—from Bari obviously to Juventus, Chelsea, Inter, and especially with the national team, which he deeply loves and where he will one day return, as even he knows. But what Antonio Conte did not expect is to no longer be sure if he wants to remain in Naples—or rather, with Napoli—meaning the club rather than the team.
Among the main reasons of disagreement, according to Palmeri, there appears to be a difference in objectives for the Napoli project: Because while for the club it’s more than enough to comfortably qualify for the lucrative Champions League, Antonio is someone who doesn’t accept second place—even when he sits down at the dinner table. The big doubt remains.
