Conte rejects more than €15m from Saudi Arabia and rules out Napoli return

Antonio Conte is out of work and wants to coach in Serie A again. In the first weeks of September he turned down more than €15m net a year from a Saudi Arabian club. The Manchester United link, talked about for two months, has gone nowhere because United have chosen Mauricio Pochettino.

He calls that chapter "wonderful, winning, passionate", but he has considered it closed for months. In another week that would be a story to file away with a little nostalgia. Not this week. Napoli are tenth with 15 points after 11 games. That is 9 points off the top-four place Allegri set as the target and 14 behind leaders Lazio. It is the lowest point of the De Laurentiis era, level with 2007/08. On Sunday 8 November, after the 1-1 with Lazio, the Maradona whistled, sang against the president and turned on the team at the final whistle.

"wonderful, winning, passionate"

The other jobs, and Inzaghi

Napoli are not the only door that is shut. The rest of Serie A is closed to him for now. Juventus are linked with him constantly, but there has been no real contact about a return so far. The club still trust Spalletti, although his results need to be steadier. Milan are sticking with Ruben Amorim. Cardinale backed him even at the worst moments, and since the derby the team have looked calmer. Conte remains a name to watch, with nothing imminent anywhere.

Then there is Simone Inzaghi, now coaching Al Hilal. If he left, he would like to come back to Italy, where he has not worked for well over a year and a half. Napoli asked about him a summer ago, at a time when Inzaghi was considered untouchable, and nothing came of it. There are no meetings or talks now. Inzaghi is focused on winning with Al Hilal, who spent ambitiously in the summer and signed Watkins, Summerville and Martinelli up front. Juventus would also be worth watching if anything changes between now and May.

The problem is not only the bench

For days the question in the city's bars has been: if not Allegri, who? The first two names that come to mind are both unavailable. Conte is done with Napoli, and Inzaghi is not moving for now.

That only half answers the question, because the problem did not start on the bench and will not be solved there. The facts show it. The club confirmed Allegri and did not look for other coaches. They also called this league position unacceptable, then let the international break pass, which was the easiest moment to make a change. Allegri is under contract until 2029 on €6m a season. In the summer he asked for a striker and did not get one. The blame is shared, and anyone hoping one new name will fix everything will be left with the same questions.

The next test is still his. Napoli host Torino at the Maradona on Saturday 21 November at 20:45 CET (19:45 UK, 14:45 ET). Di Lorenzo is out, while Neres and Favasuli are available again. It is the first home game since the protest. Three days later Napoli go to the Etihad to face Manchester City.