Antonio Conte admitted that he did not expect Scott McTominay to sign for Napoli at the beginning of last season.
Mctominay left his boy's club, Manchester United, in August 2024 to draw for Napoli and turned out to be a key figure when he helped them with the Serie A title.
The Scotland International ended the competition season with 16 target involvement (12 goals, four assists). Only one midfielder (Hernanes, also 16 in 2010-11) has been involved in so many goals in his first season in the Italian flight in the last 20 editions of the tournament.
No midfielder scored more goals than Mctominay in the Serie A, with his migration from 7.4 expected goals (XG), an over performance of 4.6. He also scored the opening goal in eight games, more than any other player.
McTominay created the Serie A MVP prize for his versions in 2024-25, but Conte said he was surprised that Napoli could lure him to the club.
“Scott is a player I knew very well. He was born and raised in Manchester United,” Conte told Sky Sports.
“I could see that he always had an impact when he played, but at the same time I noticed that he was not used as an important player at Manchester United. He was hardly a starter.
'To be honest, we had talked about it [Napoli director] Giovanni Manna. He told me it was a possible solution. Sometimes directors also come up with stories to keep you calm.
“If you ask me:” Have you ever thought that Mctominay would certainly arrive? ” I would say no.
Another important player in Napoli's title Push was former United striker Romelu Lukaku, who came to Chelsea last year.
He scored 14 goals in the Serie A last season, his highest count in a single campaign in Europe's top five competitions since 2020-21 with Inter (24), when he won the Scudetto under Conte.
“Lukaku rejected many offers, even big. He wanted to come and made no problem not playing cup matches. He wanted to work with me again, and he is a good boy,” Conte added.
“He is really a good boy. Don't think we can always get along with each other, there is always a carrot and a stick for a boy who will always give me everything on the field.”