Antonio Conte left the door wide open to an Italy recall, admitting his future at Napoli is in doubt. “If I was the FIGC President, I’d take me into consideration.”
The 56-year-old has emerged as one of the strongest candidates to take over the reins of the Azzurri after the failure to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup.
It would be a return, as he was already on the Nazionale bench from 2014 to 2016, before walking away for a new club experience at Chelsea.
When asked in today’s press conference after Napoli beat Milan 1-0 to leap into second place if he was disturbed or flattered by the Italy rumours, his response was surprisingly open.
“Let us not forget that last year, in the final three months of the season, there was talk in the media that I would leave Napoli to go to Juventus, right?” said Conte.
“The media has to write something, and it is only right that my name appears as part of that list. If I was the FIGC President, I would take me into consideration along with others. For many reasons, I would put Conte in that list.
“After all, I have already worked with the Nazionale and I know the environment. I am flattered, because representing your country is something wonderful.
“You all know full well that I have a year left on my contract with Napoli and that at the end of the season I will sit down with the President to discuss it.”
A new coach is only part of the process, as Italian football has struggled since that epic World Cup triumph in 2006, and the EURO 2020 victory is starting to feel like a blip more than a sign of recovery.
“It’s disappointing that if we had won that penalty shoot-out with Bosnia and qualified for the World Cup, people would’ve talked about a great achievement and Italy playing great football. Unfortunately, only the results count in this sport now,” noted Conte.
“After three World Cups in a row, however, something serious needs to be done. When I was CT there was a lot of talk, but I got very little help from the clubs.
“Now everything is seen as a disaster, but even in disasters, there is always something that can be salvaged. We’ve got to understand that if things aren’t working, then they remain the same whether we qualify or not. If we had qualified, the same people criticising would’ve called it a triumph.
“We all care about the Nazionale and something must be done.”
