Belgian midfield maestro Kevin De Bruyne has candidly expressed his relief following Antonio Conte’s departure from Napoli.
After a legendary decade at Manchester City, De Bruyne joined the Partenopei in the summer of 2025 on a free transfer. However, his debut season at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona was far from the fairy tale fans expected, primarily due to a fundamental clash in footballing philosophies.
Reflecting on the Conte era, the 34-year-old playmaker admitted that the Italian manager’s rigid tactical structure stifled his creativity. “I initially thought things were somewhat okay, but it became difficult because Conte has a vision of football that is completely different from mine; there is no point in dancing around that fact,” De Bruyne stated.
The veteran midfielder highlighted that he was frequently played out of position within Conte’s defensive framework. “I was never able to play in my true position. That is the reality, even though I always gave my all. We played a very defensive 5-4-1 system. When you only score one goal a game and your top scorer has only ten, the statistics speak for themselves. From a footballing perspective, it just wasn’t great.”
When asked directly if he was happy to see Conte leave, De Bruyne was blunt: “Am I happy Conte left? For me, yes. As far as I’m concerned, he shouldn’t have stayed.”
With Massimiliano Allegri—another coach known for a pragmatic, defensive approach—rumored to be the frontrunner for the Napoli job, De Bruyne’s future in Southern Italy remains shrouded in uncertainty.
