Antonio Conte Confirms Napoli Departure, Cites ‘Poison’ and Toxic Dressing Room as Reasons for Exit

Antonio Conte has brought his tenure at Napoli to a close, confirming his exit from the Serie A club after a turbulent final stretch to the 2024/25 season. The announcement came in the aftermath of Napoli’s 1-0 victory over Udinese on the final day of the campaign — a result that wrapped up the season but could not salvage the manager’s relationship with the club’s internal environment.

Despite delivering the Serie A title to Napoli during his time in charge, the 56-year-old tactician stated that deteriorating conditions within the club made it impossible for him to continue. Conte, who has previously managed Juventus, Inter Milan, Chelsea, and Tottenham Hotspur at club level, said he had already communicated his decision to the club’s hierarchy weeks before the season concluded.

“I called the president a month ago and told him I felt my journey here was coming to an end,” Conte said. He pinpointed Napoli’s fixture against Bologna earlier in the campaign as the moment his doubts crystallised. “After the Bologna game, I started noticing situations I didn’t like. I have never had anonymous seasons and never will.”

Conte was candid about what he perceived as a fundamental failure on his part — not in terms of results, but in fostering cohesion within the organisation. “I failed in one thing at Napoli: I wasn’t able to bring compactness to the club. If you can’t achieve that, it becomes difficult to compete. I’ve seen a lot of poison, and those who spread it are failures. Napoli doesn’t need failures. It needs serious people who truly love the club,” he stated.

He elaborated further on the divisions he encountered, making clear that he viewed internal unity as a non-negotiable condition for sustained success. “These people should stay away because they are harmful. I understood that I would never be able to compact the environment, and for me, that unity is fundamental,” he added.

The exit follows a season not without its friction points. Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis had previously expressed regret over transfer decisions — most notably the departures of Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia — that Conte had reportedly influenced. Conte himself had voiced dissatisfaction with the club’s recruitment, having publicly criticised the performance of Osimhen’s replacement, who managed just a single goal throughout the entire campaign.

Conte’s departure leaves Napoli in search of a new manager as they prepare to defend their Serie A title in the 2025/26 season — a significant challenge given the instability the club now faces in the dugout. His exit also reignites speculation over his next appointment, with reports suggesting a potential return to international management. Conte previously served as head coach of the Italian national team between 2014 and 2016, guiding the Azzurri through the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament before stepping down.

No official confirmation of his next role has been made at the time of publication.