FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Southampton v Tottenham Hotspur - St Mary's Stadium, Southampton, Britain - March 18, 2023 Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte applauds fans after the match Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs/File Photo
(Reuters) -Italian Antonio Conte has been handed the responsibility of reviving Napoli and taking the Serie A club back to the top of the standings after a dismal season.
The Italian, who will be returning to management following a one-year break following his departure from Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, has signed a contract that will keep him at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona until 2027.
He will take charge of a Napoli team whose title defence fell apart well before the end of the season, with the club finishing 10th and failing to qualify for European competition.
"I can certainly promise one thing: I will do my utmost for the growth of the team and the club. My commitment, along with that of my staff, will be total," Conte said in a statement.
The 54-year-old, who played more than 400 games for Juventus, boasts extensive experience in the Serie A, having secured four league titles as head coach of Inter Milan and Juventus.
A former Italy coach, Conte also had a successful stint in England with Chelsea, winning the Premier League and FA Cup with the London club.
"Antonio is a top coach, a leader," Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis said.
"I am sure that he will be able to start that necessary refounding after the conclusion of the cycle that led us to win the league title last year after many seasons at the top of Italian soccer.
"Today opens an important new chapter in the history of Napoli."
Napoli endured a turbulent 2023-24 campaign, going through three managers after coach Luciano Spalletti left and then took the Italy job.
Spalletti was replaced by Rudi Garcia, who was sacked after four months into the season, before former coach Walter Mazzarri returned to try and turn things around.
Mazzarri did not make any impression before leaving after three months, with Slovakia boss Francesco Calzona brought in on a temporary basis to get the team through the season.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund, additional reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Christian Radnedge)
