NAPLES, Italy (AP) — Antonio Conte confirmed on Sunday that he is leaving Napoli after two years in charge, having guided the southern club back to the Serie A title in his first season.
The 56-year-old Conte held a press conference alongside club president Aurelio De Laurentiis after Napoli's final match of the season, a 1-0 win over Udinese. He said a month ago he told the president that he sensed the project was winding down.
That is usually how club statements work: the wording stays calm while the room clearly has not.
"I failed in one thing: I didn't bring unity to the environment," Conte said. "It's difficult to compete with others when you can't unite everyone. I put my hands up. I realized things cannot be changed."
A rebuild that worked, briefly
When Conte was hired in 2024, Napoli was coming off a dismal campaign—10th in Serie A, one of the worst defending champions in the league's history. He signed a three-year contract and immediately delivered the scudetto.
This season, hampered by injury problems throughout the squad, Napoli finished second.
The Italy question
Conte is considered a leading candidate to take over the Italian national team, a role he held from 2014 to 2016. The Azzurri have struggled recently, missing the last two World Cups.
He previously steered Italy to the Round of 16 at the 2016 European Championship, where the y lost to Belgium on penalties.
"It's all just talk," Conte said when asked about the Italy job. "I don't know anything about my future. I might well take time out and rest."