It’s the day of presentation of Antonio Conte to Napoli. Welcome as a savior of the country for the former coach of the national team, as well as Juventus and Inter among others, who received the embrace of the city outside the Royal Palace and celebrated with great pomp in the conference inside the historic court theater . Side by side with the owner Aurelio De Laurentiis, the coach did not hold back on the thorniest issues, starting from the transfer rumors surrounding two cornerstones of the team such as the captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo and the Georgian playmaker Kvicha Kvarastkhelia, on whom it was peremptory. “Kvara remains” said Conte, making all the fans breathe a sigh of relief, in front of which the coach wanted to immediately set the record straight.
The presentation of Antonio Conte
“It is the first time I have received this presentation despite several years in the world of football – Antonio Conte confessed at the opening of the press conference – There is certainly a thread of emotion. Thank you. I certainly thank Napoli, because usually I give something before receiving. Here the opposite happened, I received so much enthusiasm, so much affection. Now all I have to do is give back.”
“What I can promise seriousness, an often underestimated word – the new coach said straight away – The seriousness in giving everything for Napoli, transmitting my working culture, my mentality and my footballing ideas. The goal is to be able to make the fans proud at the end of the season.”
“What I cannot promise is victory, because only one wins, but we will start a journey in which we will be competitive for victory” declared the coach, underlining the satisfaction of coaching a southern team as a southerner with the passion that Napoli has, which he chose for the project.
“Napoli will have a pissed off facethis must be clear” the Italian coach stated again, reiterating the slogan now consolidated since the announcement of his arrival: “amma fatà”.
Arriving at a central topic such as that of the transfer market, Conte did not want to leave room for interpretations: “I was very clear with the president, before talking about the contract I asked for just one reassurance: I would decide who would stay and who would have taken other paths. I was categorical about this. If we talk about reconstruction but then send the best away it makes little sense.”
The Napoli market and the first Rafa Marin shot
On the topic of the signing campaign for next season, Napoli has moved in the last few hours to resolve the situations still in the balance regarding the players with the “stomach ache”, starting with the captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo, currently busy with Italy in Euro 2024.
On the eve of Antonio Conte’s presentation, the coach met with president Aurelio De Laurentiis, sporting director Giovanni Manna and the player’s agent Mario Giuffredi, to ease tensions following rumours that the full-back was keen to join Juventus.
“I want to underline something important first. Di Lorenzo is a top player, but I consider him first and foremost a good and very important person in the locker room. They must know that this will be a year of revenge,” Conte said in the conference, who also spoke about the other burning case, that of the Georgian Kvaratskhelia, attempted by the PSG sirens.
“He is a player with important characteristics, there are fewer and fewer of them, wanting to keep it is not a whim” declared the coach, explaining the Naples winger’s permanence, with the comfort of the president.
“With Kvara there are no problems. We have a contract – stated Aurelio De Laurentis – I will sit with Manna and Chiavelli, with the boy and his agent. We will make him a proposal for a contractual change. So I don’t see any problems with him.”
“Then there can be those who make contra legem proposals to the players. One could call them to order especially if in that club there is someone who is the president of the Eca, or rather of the European club association – the owner of Napoli commented with a jab aimed at the president of PSG, Nasser Al-Khelaifi – But at my 75 years of age I am not surprised by those who are correct and incorrect”.
During the presentation, Antonio Conte did not hesitate to put other suggestions on the table for the transfer market, speaking about one of his most loyal players like the Belgian centre forward. Romelu Lukakudefined as “a great player, like Osimhen, when they are there you always hope to always have them on your side”, but without taking the farewell of the current Nigerian striker for granted, despite having expressed his desire to leave for months.
From today the Lecce coach will be able to officially start working on the signing campaign together with sporting director Manna, who however already has the first gift ready to make available to the new coach for Dimaro’s retirement: for the arrival of the Spanish central defender’s central defender Rafa Marin, only the details are missing and according to the transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano, there would already be an agreement in principle between Napoli and Real Madrid who holds the card, but “it will take a few days to sign it since the structure of the agreement will also include a buyback clause. Rafa Marín will sign his long-term contract in the next few days.”
The 22-year-old showed off in the last Spanish championship on loan at Deportivo Alaves and would be ready to sign a five-year contract, in an operation between 10 and 12 million.
