Star manager Antonio Conte, who is known to be impatient, has once again expressed frustration with Napoli’s inability to find a good enough replacement for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, which has raised fears that he could leave the club after just one season.
The 2023 Serie A winners hired the eccentric Italian to lead them back to the top of Italian football after an embarrassing defence of the title in the 2023/24 season.
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At first, it seemed like a perfect collaboration between Conte and Napoli. The former Chelsea and Tottenham manager had the team at the top of Serie A, but the situation quickly changed for the worse in the winter.
In December, star player Khvicha Kvaratskhelia submitted a transfer request for January, after Napoli refused to sell him to Paris Saint-Germain the summer before. This time, the club had little choice but to give in to his demands, and he was sold for around 75 million euros.
Despite Napoli negotiating with several big wingers throughout the January window, they eventually had to bring in Noah Okafor on loan from AC Milan as a last resort, after being rejected by several players.
Conte remains bitter after January window
Okafor was clearly not among Conte’s preferred options to replace Kvaratskhelia. In fact, the Swiss international was only available because he had failed a medical test at RB Leipzig earlier in the window.
At present, Okafor has actually been an unused reserve more often than he has been on the field. Conte remains bitter about Napoli’s inability to provide a good enough replacement for Kvaratskhelia, and he expressed his frustration again ahead of Saturday’s game against Monza.
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Antonio Conte wanted Alejandro Garnacho in January
“I said a lot early,” Conte began. “Some things are still right, some are not right. I don’t regret anything, but you learned. With Kvara, I said that Napoli shouldn’t be a stepping stone. I’ve realized in eight months that a lot of things here are simply not possible.”
Rai Uno reports that Conte believes that Napoli’s management has not shown enough ambition to return the club to the top of Italian and European football. His argument carries weight, especially since Napoli have been passed by Inter Milan since Kvaratskhelia’s exit.
In January, Napoli’s managers Aurelio de Laurentiis and Giovanni Manna asked to reduce Manchester United’s price of 70 million euros for top goal Alejandro Garnacho, but it did not work. They also failed to convince Borussia Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi to move to Serie A.
This failed transfer, which could eventually cost Napoli the Serie A title, has caused Conte to question his future at the club. Despite having a contract until 2027, there is speculation that the 55-year-old could leave Napoli as early as this summer.
Inter Milan and Napoli are tied at the top of Serie A, but Inter have one game less played.
