Ex-Chelsea and Spurs manager lands huge new role after lengthy sabbatical

The former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte has been announced as the new Napoli manager. The 54-year-old Italian manager has been out of work since leaving N17 by ‘mutual consent’ in March 2023.

Conte did not leave the Premier League on favourable terms but, despite his disappointing stint at Spurs from 2021-23, the Italian head coach has a hugely decorated coaching career, winning the Premier League in his first season at Chelsea and the FA Cup in his second before getting sacked in 2018.

Speaking on the appointment, the 54-year-old ex-Juventus boss said: “Napoli is a place of global importance. I'm happy and excited to sit on the Azzurri bench. I can certainly promise one thing: I will do my best for the growth of the team and the club. My commitment, together with that of my staff, will be total.

Napoli finished the 2023/24 campaign in a discouraging 10th place, having won the league title the season before for the first time in 33 years. Their tenth place finish also means that they will not be competing in Europe next season.

The Serie A club has been managed by Francesco Calzona on a short-term deal since February but he is now returning to his duties as the Slovakia national team head coach ahead of the European Championships this summer. Earlier in the campaign, Napoli sacked Walter Mazzarri and Rudi Garcia in the space of three months.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentis has added his thoughts on Conte’s arrival, saying: “I am very proud that the new coach of Napoli is Antonio Conte.

“Antonio is a top coach, a leader, with whom I am sure that the necessary re-foundation will start after the conclusion of the cycle that led us to win the Scudetto last year after many seasons at the top of Italian football. Today marks the beginning of a new important chapter in the history of Napoli."

As well as Conte’s glittering career at Chelsea, listed on his CV include stints at Atalanta, Siena and the Italian national team. The former Juventus midfielder also guided Juventus to three consecutive Serie A titles from 2011-2014 and led Inter Milan to their first domestic title in 11 years in 2021.