Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis offered coach Antonio Conte all he wanted but the expert tactician still hasn’t decided whether he wants to take over at the club or not.
A report from today’s Il Mattino details how the Partenopei president reopened talks with the former Juventus and Chelsea coach on Sunday evening in an attempt to convince him to take over from Walter Mazzarri, who has struggled to find results in the Campania capital.
Whilst De Laurentiis appreciates Mazzarri’s willingness to act as a caretaker coach for the season following Rudi Garcia’s dismissal, he is also keen to start thinking towards the future, especially as the club slip further and further away from the Champions League qualification spots.
On Monday, the Napoli president matched Conte’s demands and drew up a strong offer – a three-and-a-half-year contract worth €8m net per season, offering him complete control in the transfer market, appointing Gianluca Petrachi as the new sporting director and allowing the arrival of Gabriele Oriali, the coach’s right-hand man.
The pair also discussed the possibility of allowing Conte to leave the club at will, without the inclusion of any contract clauses or possible penalties for terminating his contract, showing De Laurentiis’ desperation to appoint the experienced coach.
Despite the Napoli president’s various concessions, the Italian coach decided to hit the brakes on the talks, still unsure about the idea of taking over the troubled defending champions, who sit ninth in the Serie A table after 19 games.
Sounds like a good deal. Conte with 3 good transfers and Napoli is back in business, if he agrees that is.