Ex-Italy players split on Conte’s Napoli future: Will he stay or go?

COMO, ITALY – MAY 02: SSC Napoli coach Antonio Conte looks on during the Serie A match between Como 1907 and SSC Napoli at Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium on May 02, 2026 in Como, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Former Italy players Ciro Ferrara and Emanuele Giaccherini have different views on Antonio Conte’s future at Napoli: ‘I think he’ll stay,’ said the ex-defender, but Giaccherini disagreed.

Conte’s future at Napoli is uncertain despite the Italian coach being under contract at the Stadio Maradona until June 2027.

The Italian tactician has led the Partenopei to Champions League qualification with one game to spare, but during his post-match interviews on Sunday, he appeared to suggest that his future at the club was not guaranteed, revealing that he had already made a decision about the matter.

“I was carefully listening, but I have a different feeling. I think he’ll stay at Napoli,” Ferrara told DAZN.

Ferrara is not only a former Juventus, Napoli, and Italy defender but also a close friend of Conte, as the pair spent several years together in Turin.

Giaccherini, on the other hand, played under Conte at the Allianz Stadium and with the Italian national team, but the ex-winger has a different view on the Italian tactician’s future: “I think he’ll go. I don’t know, he looked a bit worn out,” he noted.

Napoli hired Conte in the summer of 2024 and won one Serie A title and one Supercoppa Italiana over the last two seasons.