Napoli are once again concretely exploring the idea of hiring Antonio Conte, a report claims, but AC Milan are set to meet with his entourage in the coming days.
According to Il Mattino, Napoli are no longer hesitant about the idea of appointing Conte but they now face the task of convincing him to join, something that will not be easy if other clubs come into the equation.
The approaches from Aurelio De Laurentiis in October and January were rejected with great grace by Conte with the promise that they would talk again towards the end of the season. Now, the Napoli president will meet Conte in person to see if anything has changed.
Napoli want a coach who restores ambition and excitement, while Conte’s financial demands are much lower than in recent times: he asks for between €4-5m net per season, obviously plus bonuses linked to results and some image rights.
There are many other issues on the table, those linked to the project itself. You don’t hire someone like Conte just with promises, nice words and so on: he wants guarantees about being able to bring in players he wants without much interference.
In the background there is the Stefano Pioli hypothesis for the Azzurri. He will leave Milan at the end of the season and will ask for severance pay from the Rossoneri. If he gets it, he will be released and can join another club, otherwise he will take a year off and will be paid his €4m salary.
The paper also states that Conte’s people will meet with Milan too in the coming days, because the management wish to explore whether the former Juventus and Inter boss might be the right man to lead the new post-Pioli era.
We are at a point where Conte friends in the media make him look desperate. They are trying to push him towards every club and no one wants him.
What I feel is that most people on this site don’t want Conte but probably a large number of us here are not in Italy or have a different perspective of matters to those fans in Italy whose voices are going to be considered more when management decides they are going to be weak and not make choices of their own but what the fans want. This is where I feel Conte is very much up there. Don’t get me wrong, voice of the fans should be considered but to certain degree. Management should execute its set plans even if unpopular. Conte although a great coach, I’m not too comfortable with because I see Milan as a club with different style in many ways from the football to the family atmosphere and sportsmanship. Feel we must win with our ways and that’s possible with other candidates. Must not be desperate and force to choose Conte based on his winning history.
Conte won’t make sense, first if they really wanted him they could have him already but hiring Conte won’t make sense for our squad, what are you doing with Leao, Pulisic and Chukz? Conte won’t play with wingers.
For the umpteenth time, Conte played 343 with both Chelsea and Tottenham and we already have a set of players to build on it.
Tomori-Gabbia-Thiaw
Calabria-DM-Bennacer-Theo
Pulisic – ST – Leao
Two mobile and fast CBs on each side with Gabbia staying put in the center. Replace Thiaw with left footed CB like Buongiorno, or shift Thiaw to RCB position and sacrifice Tomori. Shift DM on the LCM to give more cover to Theo since Calabria has better defensive awareness. A proper DM and a striker are must despite formation played.
Well said