ROME (AP) — Antonio Conte appears ready to leave Napoli less than a year after guiding the southern club to its fourth Serie A title.
The fiery coach never seems to stay too long in one place, and now he's openly campaigning for the vacant Italy job after the Azzurri failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup.
Return to National Team?
"If I were the federation president I would consider myself," Conte said after Napoli's 1-0 victory over AC Milan on Monday. "I've already been with the national team and I know what it's like."
Such a move would mark a return for Conte, who previously coached Italy at the European Championship a decade ago.
Currently, the Italian soccer federation has only a lame duck president after Gabriele Gravina announced his resignation, with new elections called for June 22.
Napoli's Title Chances
Napoli trails league leader Inter Milan by seven points with seven rounds remaining, and Conte is not expecting another title.
"It's not a question of believing or not; it's about being realistic," Conte said. "We would have to be perfect and Inter would have to make several missteps. And from what we've seen, that seems unlikely because Inter is strong."
Napoli visits Parma on Sunday following a late-season surge that saw them leapfrog Milan into second place.
Pattern of Departures
If Conte does leave Napoli, it would follow similar exits immediately after or soon after titles at:
- Bari — left immediately after a Serie B title in 2009
- Juventus — left immediately after winning a third straight Serie A title in 2014
- Chelsea — left immediately after winning the FA Cup in 2018 and a year after a Premier League title
- Inter — left immediately after a Serie A title in 2021