- Home ย ย >ย ย
- Soccer ย ย >ย ย
- Serie A ย ย >ย ย
- Conte lauds 'extraordinary' Scudetto win amid Napoli exit rumours
Conte lauds 'extraordinary' Scudetto win amid Napoli exit rumours
Antonio Conte has been linked with a Napoli exit, but that was not on his mind as he joined the Serie A champions' open-top bus parade.
Antonio Conte said celebrating a Serie A title win with Napoli was a unique experience as reports suggest the Italian is preparing to quit the Partenopei.
Having taken over a Napoli side that mounted the worst Scudetto defence in history last season, finishing 10th, Conte oversaw a remarkable title triumph in his debut campaign.
After beating Inter to the title with a 2-0 home win over Cagliari on Friday, Napoli celebrated alongside thousands of fans on an open-top bus parade on Monday.
Napoli became the first team in a 20-team Serie A season to win the Scudetto after finishing 10th the previous campaign.
The previous biggest jump by a title-winning side was also under Conte, with Juventus finishing seventh in 2010-11 then first in 2011-12.
Juventus have been linked with a move to take Conte back to Turin, yet he ignored questions over his future on Monday and instead focused on the fans' jubilant celebrations.
"We work to do something important and give these sensations to ourselves, but above all to the fans. I am truly happy, celebrating the Scudetto at Napoli is truly something extraordinary," Conte told Rai from the top of the bus in the parade.
"It is a city that gives you everything, and wants a lot in return. I think we gave them all we had and they are repaying us today with this extraordinary affection. You really need to experience it to understand what it means.
"It is difficult not to create a special bond with this city, it is full of passion and enthusiasm."
Conte also praised title rivals Inter, as Simone Inzaghi's side prepare to play Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final on Saturday.
"Honour to those who won but also to Inter, because we beat a great team that had an extraordinary season and on Saturday has the chance to win the Champions League. This honours us even more," Conte added.
Napoli's leading scorer in Serie A this season, Romelu Lukaku, was willing to comment on Conte's future, saying: "I will do everything to keep him here, I always talk to him, I told him to stay."
Having only previously won the Scudetto with Diego Maradona in their side in 1986-87 and 1989-90, Napoli have now lifted it twice in the past three campaigns.
With this title, Napoli become the team from central to southern Italy with the most Scudetto wins (four), while Conte has now won Serie A on five occasions as a coach.
He previously won the division three times with Juventus and once with Inter.
Having matched Marcello Lippi and Fabio Capello's five titles, he is now only behind Giovanni Trapattoni (seven) and Massimiliano Allegri (six).