Antonio Conte is back in Serie A as Napoli boss and the anticipation in Campania is reaching fever pitch as the passionate Partenopei fans hope for a return of success.
It’s been a tumultuous two years in Naples; they won a first Scudetto in 33 years and then somehow followed that up with a tenth-placed finish, Napoli’s worst campaign since 2009. This season I expect them to finish somewhere in between and regain their place among the title chasers; but there’s a fair amount of pressure on Conte to succeed. The latest Serie A betting odds expect him to restore the club to the top four, alongside the two Milan giants and Juventus.
The new head coach greeted fans at the club’s Castel di Sangro pre-season training camp and introduced his coaching team, including his brother, Gianluca. He knows how to play the fans and if he brings success Conte will become an instant hero: “Napoli is a place of global importance,” he said. “I am happy and excited at the idea of sitting on the blue bench. I can certainly promise one thing. I will do my utmost for the growth of the team and the club.”
He has not managed since he left Tottenham Hotspur by mutual agreement in March 2023, but the former Juventus player knows success, and how to get it. As a manager he won three Serie A titles with I Bianconeri and one with Inter Milan, in 2021, picking up a Premier League title with Chelsea in between.
And Conte has already been busy in the market, bringing in centre back Allesandro Buongiorno in a 35m Euros switch from Torino, with another 5m in add-ons; another centre-back, Rafa Marin at a cost of 12m from Real Madrid while left-back Leonardo Spinazzola has arrived on a free transfer from AS Roma. Buongiorno is the signing which has Napoli fans the most excited; the 25-year-old has won four Azzurri caps over the past 12 months and is a commanding figure at the heart of defence. 22-year-old Spanish star Marin is one for the future but he will be pushing for a place pretty soon, while Spinazzola is an experienced campaigner, at 31 years of age and with 24 Italy caps he is a class act, quick, aggressive and keen to support the attack. A versatile player, Conte could use Spinazzola as a winger as he has dribbling skills to match the best. This is a very canny signing.
Replacement for Zielinski needed
One of the big Serie A 2024 news stories of the summer so far was the move of midfield maestro Piotr Zielinski from Napoli to Inter Milan and the Polish international will leave a big hole in the centre of the park. He first arrived in Naples in 2016, switching from Udinese in a £16m move and that turned out to be money very well spent. Zielinski made 364 appearances for Napoli in all competitions, scoring 51 goals and making 46 assists.
Any box-to-box midfielder with a record of more than one goal contribution in every four games is worth his weight in gold and he was one of the first names on the team-sheet during the successful Scudetto campaign of 2023. Zielinski also leaves with a Coppa Italia medal won in 2020 and the fond wishes of fans at the Diego Maradona Stadium, apart from when Napoli face Inter Milan of course!
Conte is looking for new blood in midfield and the club have been linked with Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Billy Gilmour. He wouldn’t be a like for like replacement for Zielinski, at 5ft 7in the Scottish international is a pocket dynamo, but Conte is a fan of Gilmour having worked with him at Chelsea where he had his breakthrough. Now 23 years old he impressed with the Seagulls last season, making 32 appearances and his close control combined with snappy tackling might just make Gilmour a perfect addition to Serie A.
Meanwhile, the saga of unsettled striker Victor Osimhen continues to rumble on. He starred during Napoli’s Scudetto campaign, scoring 26 goals, but the Nigerian star fell out with the club early last season. 12 months ago Osimhen was a very hot property and Napoli director Mauro Moliso has recently said the club slipped up by not cashing in. As it turned out Osimhen signed an extended contract last December, taking his deal to 2026 but with a huge release clause of 130m Euros which seems to be putting some clubs off, which leaves Osimhen, and the club, in a state of limbo.
It’s a situation we’ve been following closely here at SBOTOP and it needs resolving. While the likes of Roma and Bologna were fighting for European football last season, Napoli were bumbling around in mid table and Conte needs to have a settled and happy squad if I Partenopei are to make a quick start this time around.
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