Kevin De Bruyne Happy Antonio Conte Left Napoli, Questions Future at Club After Difficult Serie A Season

Kevin De Bruyne has offered his most direct assessment yet of his turbulent first season at Napoli, confirming he was relieved when Antonio Conte departed the club following a failed title defence in the 2025-2026 Serie A campaign.

De Bruyne joined Napoli on a free transfer last summer, but injury disrupted a significant portion of his debut season in Italy. Despite a promising start, the Belgian playmaker was sidelined for an extended period before returning for the final stages of the campaign. He ultimately finished with nine goal involvements across all competitions — five goals in 21 appearances — as Napoli fell short of defending the league title Conte had delivered 12 months prior.

The philosophical differences between De Bruyne and Conte appear to have been a source of frustration throughout the season. “Obviously, it was difficult for me because Conte has a very different vision of football to mine. In truth, I never had the opportunity to play in my preferred position,” De Bruyne said. “We played very defensively. If you try to win every game by a one-goal margin with a 4-5-1 formation, you play a certain type of football. At the start of the season, we sat back even deeper.”

De Bruyne also pointed to the team’s attacking output as evidence of the system’s limitations, noting that centre-forward Rasmus Hojlund scored just 10 league goals across the season. “You know the statistics are not going to be great,” he added.

On Conte’s exit, the 34-year-old was unambiguous. “For me, yes, I am happy Conte left. As far as I am concerned, he was not obliged to stay. There were promises made last summer about how we would be playing, but at the end of the day, not much of it came to pass. I found that a pity. Football needs to be enjoyable, and unfortunately, I found that aspect lacking. There is no point beating around the bush; we have different visions of football. I never got to play in my position under Conte.”

Conte, who guided Napoli to the Serie A title in the 2024-2025 season in his first year at the club, departed after the side failed to retain the championship. The 56-year-old coach has previously cited internal tensions at the club as a factor in his decision, referencing what he described as “poison” within the organisation.

Attention has now turned to who will replace Conte in the Napoli dugout. Massimiliano Allegri, who was sacked by AC Milan earlier this week, is reportedly being considered for the managerial role at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

De Bruyne’s own future at the club also remains unresolved. With one year remaining on his contract, the former Manchester City captain indicated he intends to hold talks with the club before committing to any course of action. “I still have a year left on my contract, but I want to talk about it. There was a lot of talk last year of how we would play and what we would do, but none of it happened,” he said.

The remarks represent a significant moment for Napoli as they attempt to reshape their squad and managerial setup heading into the 2026-2027 season. De Bruyne, widely regarded as one of the finest midfielders of his generation, remains a significant asset, but his public reservations about the club’s direction will add complexity to what is already a substantial summer rebuild.