Napoli Supporters Left Stunned After Serie A Champions Reveal Reasoning Behind Antonio Conte Absence

Napoli supporters have been left stunned after the Serie A champions revealed why Antonio Conte has been absent from recent training sessions.

Why Has Antonio Conte Not Been At Napoli Training?

The current Scudetto holders have faced a difficult few weeks in Serie A, failing to win in three consecutive matches across all competitions and suffering a 2-0 defeat by Bologna in their latest league outing.

Losing to Bologna saw Napoli drop down to fourth in the table, a position that has called Antonio Conte’s future at the club into question – which was amplified by the Italian’s recent absence from training.

Conte did not hold back in his latest post-match press conference, as the 56-year-old questioned his sides’ resilience and claimed that he was doing a ‘bad job’.

Following this scathing rant, the Napoli manager was confirmed to be absent from training and multiple reports suggested that the Italian had fallen out with club president, Aurelio De Laurentiis during a recent meeting.

However, the Serie A side have now given an explanation behind Conte’s absence, claiming that the former Chelsea boss had already agreed to some time away during this international break.

Cristian Stellini, assistant manager at Napoli, has been handed the task of conducting the training sessions while Conte is away and is expected to do so until November 17th.

Napoli’s infrastructure has already seen some major changes during the international break, as head of scouting Maurizio Micheli decided to part ways with the Italian side and join Arsenal.

It is unclear what Maurizio Micheli’s exit means for Napoli, as the Italian helped to bring in some of the clubs’ best players during his lengthy spell with the club.

Conte will be looking to put this departure to the back of his mind when he returns, as Napoli face Atalanta in Serie A after the international break comes to an end.

Atalanta have recently made a major change to their roster, as Ivan Juric was relieved of his duties following a run of poor results and La Dea have appointed former Fiorentina manager, Raffaele Palladino.

Juric’s exit was the latest in a long-line of managerial departures in Serie A this season, with Igor Tudor, Stefano Pioli and Patrick Vieira all being made surplus to requirements in Italy.

Given Conte’s absence from training sessions and Napoli’s current run of form, many are wondering whether the Italian will be the next man to face the sack in Serie A.

Will Napoli Sack Antonio Conte?

The 56-year-old was heavily rumored with a move away from Napoli after the 2024/25 season, as Conte reportedly disagreed with the strategy set by De Laurentiis.

However, after a successful meeting between the two, where De Laurentiis promised to offer heavy financial support, Conte decided to stay in Naples.

The Scudetto holders brought in a host of star names during the summer window, including Kevin De Bruyne and Rasmus Hojlund, but performances have failed to meet last season’s standards.

Losing five games across all competitions at this point in the season is something Napoli supporters would not have expected and has left some doubt over Conte’s future.

Reports suggested that the Italian would meet with the clubs’ board to discuss the next steps, but these rumors were put to bed by De Laurentiis who categorically denied any talks over a possible departure from Conte.

De Laurentiis has also started to make some ground over a new Napoli stadium, which is a sign of intent when looking into both Conte’s and Napoli’s future.

Another important factor in Conte’s time with the club is Roberto Mancini’s decision to manage Al Sadd, as the Italian manager was one of the leading candidates to replace the Napoli boss.

Other options include Erik ten Hag, Ange Postecoglou and Fabio Grosso, as the latter continues to impress at Sassuolo this season.

Conte still has two-years remaining on his current deal in Naples, meaning the Partenopei are unlikely to make the 57-year-old surplus to requirements as they would need to pay a huge compensation fee.