De Bruyne joins as a sign, Delao signs promise to revive Conte stays in the south

Sports Weekly All Media's special correspondent in Italy, Xiao Wu

Antonio Conte stayed, staying in the city of Naples. This may be a result that almost everyone did not expect. After all, the media reports a few days ago were "no surprises, Conte and Naples were getting farther and farther away". In people's general impression, Conte was not an "honest man". In Juventus, he "escaped at the last minute" and in Inter Milan, he "abandoned the ship and fled." However, in Naples, there was no plot of "retiring after success". Of course, such a choice was also in line with Conte's logic.

Conte himself commented on continuing to hold hands: "After each season, the coach and the club will communicate, summarize the performance of the season, evaluate whether the concepts are consistent, and whether there are common goals and visions in the future. I think this is a normal thing that will happen to every club. Since the contract is still there and our ideas are consistent, then continue to cooperate because we are all serious and responsible people and will move forward firmly. I think that when you face new challenges, the most important thing is to devote yourself to the city and club. I have always done this in the past."

Only in Conte can there be a situation where continuing to perform contracts during his term is regarded as a compliment. Even DeLaurentis took the initiative to propose to modify the contract and give Conte a salary increase. Compared with the treatment given to Spaletti after winning the championship two years ago, it was a world of difference. At that time, De Laurentis unilaterally used the automatic contract renewal option, which meant that a meritorious coach who led Naples to regain the league championship after 33 years was treated in a parity manner, not only with annual salary, but also lacked basic respect throughout the process.

You have to admit that Conte is good at packaging himself. Since he left Juventus, his net worth has been rising and will not decrease with the fluctuations in his performance. Maybe Tottenham is an accident. However, once he returns to Italy, he is still the champion coach who is competing for by various giants, and taking over Naples for one year is proof of his victory. AC Milan, who gave up on him last summer, could only face the dilemma of ranking 8th in embarrassment. This contrast is direct and strong.

Conte is too smart. He accurately grasped that this may not be a stable Juventus, nor a Juventus who can build a team smoothly and achieve results. It is a clear difference from his first coaching. At least at that time there was a confident chairman, an experienced general manager, and most importantly a solid management team. Juventus now does not have it, and the management easily shuffled. Jontoli was swept out two years later. The head coach is usually given the importance of "producing fruits", but the rhizomes are no longer solid.

On the other hand, Naples gave enough sincerity. Sports director Manna seized the opportunity to finalize De Bruyne in advance. He is a perfect superstar in Serie A. Now the Apennines have a lack of star flavor. The most famous player is Lautaro, or Lukaku. De Bruyne "condescends" to come to Naples, which is really an unexpected surprise.

This is of course also Conte's credit. He brought Napoli from 10th to the championship throne in a short period of time, and it is extremely important to get the Champions League qualification again. There are not many clubs that meet these two conditions at the same time. De Bruyne's arrival also made Conte smile, and perhaps it also played a decisive role in his stay. He had already conceived a blueprint in his mind.

This is just the first step to meet Conte's needs. Naples will have other moves next. This summer, striker Osimone's 75 million euro termination fee will be activated no matter what continent the offer comes from. The money will be fully invested in the transfer market. Naples has already taken the lead in David's negotiations, but the abundant funds and plenty of time have given Conte even more choices. In addition, there are multiple positions that will be added to facilitate Conte to restart the 352 system that it relied on for fame, or to switch freely between 4 defenders and 3 defenders.

Having multiple players reserves in one position is also conducive to Conte's breakthrough in the Champions League. This year is the "Little Year" in Serie A. The 82-point winning score is the lowest since the 2011-12 season. A bigger test is in the Champions League, Conte also needs to face the doubts of multi-line combat. According to the current team's conditions, Napoli is indeed much better than Juventus. On the one hand, it is constantly turbulent, and on the other hand, it is stable and improving. It is as smart as Conte, so it is not difficult to make such a decision.