When Antonio Conte finally decided to leave Tottenham after a relatively lengthy period of discontent, few expected him to return to football immediately.
The manager had recently undergone surgery, and was clearly still needing time to recover, but time has since passed, with no jobs taken.
That will certainly be because of him, as his stock in Italy hasn’t taken a hit in his home country, regardless of what happened at Tottenham, with Antonio Cassano, former footballer and now pundit, making a case for the Italian to take over at Napoli should Rudi Garcia fail, talking on Bobo TV, relayed by Area Napoli.
The Frenchman took over from Luciano Spalletti over the summer in a rather surprising appointment, and has yet to get his team replicate the form and football the now Italy manager was lauded for last season.
This has already led to calls for a change, or at least for Napoli to consider it if nothing improves, and Cassano reckons Conte, following his stint at Tottenham, is the only realistic candidate to take over, ready to bet on it.
He said: “No to [Marcelo] Gallardo. The next Napoli manager can be a former teammate of yours, Bobo [Vieri]… I’ll bet a dinner on it, you’ll see. Antonio Conte is the right name. I’m ready to bet dinner for you all. If Rudi Garcia is sacked, there’s only one name that can go to Napoli, and that’s Antonio Conte. He’s the only one, trust me.
“Wouldn’t Napoli easily switch from the current 4-3-3 to the 3-5-2? But Conte, at Tottenham, did the 3-4-3 and he could reintroduce this scheme. He has balls and he has an idea for the game; I may not like his play style, but as a manager he is strong. In that team, after Spalletti, you need someone like him, a man of character and able to drag the fans along.”
