Conte was ‘really close’ to first job after Tottenham exit – ‘Rejected’ €28m package, clause ‘inadmissible’ for manager

Antonio Conte may not have worked since his departure from Tottenham Hotspur, but it seems he hasn’t lacked opportunities to get back in the dugout.

A report from CalcioMercato.it today reveals that the coach had the chance to take charge of Napoli, and was about to find an agreement for the job.

It’s said that in recent months, Napoli offered him a contract worth €28m net for three and a half years, and he was ‘really close’ to taking it.

The former Tottenham boss, though, ‘rejected that’, and money was obviously not the problem. It was actually a clause in the contract.

The report claims that Napoli would have Conte until the end of the season, and the contract would only get renewed in case the manager and president Aurelio De Laurentiis agreed about the market objectives.

That was considered ‘inadmissible’ for the manager, who chose to stay unemployed while waiting for an offer that really suits him.

Conte took charge of Tottenham in November 2021 and left them in March 2023, and it’s exactly today, Monday February 26th, that he completes a year without a new job.