Napoli boss Conte opens up on De Bruyne transfer and Scudetto chances | OneFootball

Napoli head coach Antonio Conte has given an interview to the press, from his side’s pre-season training camp in the commune of Dimaro, Italy, in which he described new signing Kevin De Bruyne as ‘undoubtedly’ raising the level of the squad whilst claiming his team won’t “shy away from the responsibility” of defending their Scudetto title.

Speaking to interviewers, with quotes from IlNapolista, Conte also praised “the incredible” league title as “anything but expected for many reasons.”

Conte: ‘We started from 10th place…”

Conte opened the interview by saying “When I said I’d like, just for once, to be on a well-established, ready-made bench, I truly hope that day comes. However, we have to focus on ourselves, on who we are and what we want to become, because that is what matters the most.

NAPLES, ITALY – MAY 11: Antonio Conte Napoli head coach reacts during the Serie A match between Napoli and Genoa at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on May 11, 2025 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

“We began a new project last year with the club and the president, starting from very limited foundations. We started from 10th place and the objective remains to make sure that these new foundations last by strengthening them. It has happened at other clubs before, because I see myself as a builder.

“We achieved an incredible goal in our first year”, said the coach, who described the achievement as “anything but expected, for many reasons, but we did it.”

“That said,” Conte added, “for me, nothing changes. The work of rebuilding and adding pieces to strengthen these foundations continues. The club knows it, the president knows it, and we’re all aligned in saying that this journey continues.”

De Bruyne ‘needs no introduction’ – Conte

Napoli completed the signing of Kevin De Bruyne after his contract with Premier League club Manchester City expired in the summer. This marquee signing turned a lot of heads and was a strong opening statement from Napoli ahead of their attempts to defend the Scudetto.

When asked about De Bruyne, Conte replied “It’s too early to talk now – we will regroup at the end of the year to assess what kind of impact this player will have had. One thing is for certain, he is a player who needs no introduction. We wanted to raise the level of quality and, with him, we undoubtedly do.

Kevin De Bruyne on first day of Napoli pre-season training, July 15, 2025.

“For years he has been one of the best midfielders in the world; he won everything at City. Now, he is taking on a new challenge and, for him too, it is something different in every respect. I find him to be a guy who’s adapted really well to our environment, and we are happy to have him with us.”

Conte stressed the importance of having experienced players like De Bruyne at the club: “In the process of structuring a team for the future, he is important because he is already established – unlike others who are still developing and arriving now. The others we are bringing in are players who still need to improve and who will stay at Napoli for several years. There’s a lot of work to do but we’re ready. ”

Napoli have officially announced the signing of Dutchman Noa Lang from PSV and Lorenzo Lucca from Udinese, and a deal for Bologna’s Sam Beukema appears close.