Antonio Conte free to take Italy job but Napoli president suggests ex-Chelsea & Spurs coach is too 'intelligent' for 'completely disorganised' national team

The position recently became available following the departure of Gennaro Gattuso, who stepped down following their World Cup play-off final defeat to Bosnia-Herzegovina. Calls for a total overhaul of Italian football's governing body have sparked calls for a strong figure to step into the hotseat, with Conte seen as a top candidate.

Conte spent two years in charge of the national team, taking over in 2014 following his departure from Juventus. He oversaw 25 matches with the Azzurri, winning 14 and losing five, but his reign came to an end following their Euro 2016 quarter-final defeat to Germany on penalties. Since then, he has gone on to manage Chelsea, where he won the Premier League, Inter, winning a Serie A title, and Tottenham before guiding Napoli to the Scudetto last season.

Speaking to CalcioNapoli24, De Laurentiis addressed rumours linking Conte to the vacant Azzurri job, stating Napoli are prepared to let their manager take the prestigious role, provided he is asked directly.

However, he expressed heavy scepticism regarding the federation's appeal. "Conte new coach of the national team? If Antonio asked me, I think I would say yes, but because he is very intelligent, as long as there is no serious interlocutor, and up to now there have been none, I believe he would desist in imagining himself at the head of something completely disorganised," he explained.

The pressure on the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) reached a breaking point in the wake of their failure against Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Azzurri suffered a catastrophic qualification campaign that began under Luciano Spalletti before Gattuso was drafted in a late bid to salvage their World Cup hopes. Gattuso was in charge for eight matches overall and guided the Azzurri to six wins, but defeats to Norway - in the last game of the qualifying group stage - and Bosnia-Herzegovina cast a dark shadow over his reign.

This historic disappointment means Italy have now missed the sport's biggest tournament in 2018, 2022 and 2026, underscoring the structural chaos that saw FIGC president Gabriele Gravina step down, followed by delegation chief Gianluigi Buffon.

The club president has advocated for sweeping changes within Italian football governance. He endorsed Giovanni Malago - the current president of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) - to lead the federation, calling him the perfect person to act as commissioner and eventual president. Furthermore, De Laurentiis criticised the current power dynamics, noting that Serie A clubs are treated unfairly despite their massive financial contributions.

"Italian football is Serie A which is considered like a Cinderella, it only has 18% in terms of the federation, while the amateurs and the players have the majority. This is an absurdity considering that without Serie A the federation would not exist and considering that we finance it with a good €130 million a year," he argued.