Antonio Conte leaves Napoli a year after Serie A triumph having 'seen a lot of poison' - and puts Pep Guardiola forward for Italy job

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Antonio Conte has confirmed his departure from Napoli after two seasons, with the Italian declaring that he had "seen a lot of poison".

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After finishing his second season at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona with a 1-0 win over Udinese to secure second place in Serie A, Conte revealed that he would be leaving the club.

The former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur manager joined Napoli ahead of the 2024/25 season - and he made an immediate impact in south Italy.

The club held off Inter to win their fourth Serie A title, but Conte’s second season was not as rosy.

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Napoli failed to advance from the league stage of the UEFA Champions League, while in Serie A, they finished 11 points behind Inter.

Nevertheless, finishing first and second in your first two seasons with a club is not to be sniffed at.

But Conte made the decision to depart after an earlier 3-2 home defeat to Bologna.

He said: "I failed in one thing. I wasn't able to bring compactness to Napoli, and if you don't manage to do it, it becomes difficult to fight against other teams.

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"I've seen a lot of poison, and those who spread it are failures. Napoli doesn't need failures, those who need a 'like'.

"It needs serious people who want to love the team, just like the fan who pays for the ticket. Instead, these people should stay away, because they are harmful.

"I failed from this point of view, and I understood that I would never be able to compact the environment. For me, it was fundamental, so I raised my hands.

"After Bologna, what I felt were situations that I didn't like, and even there, it takes balls to say things.

"I have never played anonymous seasons, and I never will. I was also ready to step aside, certainly some signings didn't get in tune with the old group, and very difficult dynamics were created that were right to report.

"I called the president a month ago, and I told him, 'by virtue of the friendship we have, I perceive that my journey here is about to end'. The decision was taken by me."

It is Conte’s fifth consecutive job that has come to a conclusion after two seasons, having left Italy, Chelsea, Inter and Spurs after his second year.

At Chelsea, Inter and Napoli, Conte delivered league titles, but his vocal personality has led to friction with club owners.

Napoli players celebrate with Rasmus Hojlund after he scored against Udinese.

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Italian job for Conte - or Guardiola?

After Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time, Gennaro Gattuso left his role as manager.

Conte insisted he is not due to return to the role, instead putting Pep Guardiola forward for the job after the Catalan left Manchester City.

"There’s zero between me and Italian Federation to become Italy head coach," Conte added. "Zero so far. Let’s see in future.

"There's not even the federation president yet, but let me say, are Italy ready to appoint a top coach?

"I read about Pep Guardiola. Should I suggest a name, I’d say Pep. But, do they have the funds to make it happen? It’s too early to say. I have zero agreements so far."

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