Gennaro Gattuso announced his resignation as national team manager last week, following Italy’s failure to qualify for the World Cup. The Azzurri are now actively searching for a replacement, with Napoli manager Antonio Conte the leading candidate, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Conte is no stranger to the Italian national team. The Italian previously served as national team manager from 2014 to 2016. In 2016, he led Italy at the European Championship in France, where the team were knocked out by Germany in the quarter-finals after a penalty shoot-out.
After that European Championship, Conte moved to London, where he spent two years in charge at Chelsea and won the league title once. This was followed by a reasonably successful spell at Inter, after which he returned to the Premier League. However, he failed to win any trophies at Tottenham Hotspur before signing for I Partenopei, where he won the league title and the Italian Super Cup.
The newspaper reports that the current manager of Napoli, currently third in Serie A, is open to a return as national team manager at the end of the current season.
Conte is not the only name being mentioned as a possible successor to Gattuso. Roberto Mancini, Massimiliano Allegri and Turkey manager Vincenzo Montella are also being heavily linked in the media.
In Mancini’s case, there is some resistance, particularly due to his sudden departure during his previous spell as national team manager. AC Milan manager Allegri is keeping his distance for the time being, according to La Gazzetta.
In the 2024/25 season, Conte narrowly won the Serie A title by finishing one point ahead of Inter. This season, Napoli have been more inconsistent and retaining the title seems a distant prospect. The gap to leaders Inter currently stands at seven points, with eight games remaining.