Winning the Serie A title with 16 points in 2022/23 ended injured for more than 30 years, but Luciano Spalletti had asked Sabbatical from Napoli for a year in the aftermath of that triumph.
Not long after, he became the Italian national team manager after an unexpected resignation by Roberto Mancini.
Incredible fall from the grace for Napoli in 2023/24
Problems in that summer with Victor Osimhen followed, and then three managers took the lead about what a terrible campaign of 2023/24 became – Rudi Garcia, Walter Mazzarri and Francesco Calzona.
The ruling champions ended in a distant 10th position, 41 points behind the final Champions Inter, and therefore did not qualify for Europe.
That is why a strong hand would be clearly necessary, hence the movement for Conte. And where he goes, Romelu Lukaku follows.
The Italian originally tried to sign the Belgian powerhouse when the Chelsea manager, and the striker was in Everton. Agent, however, is said to demand the deal and Lukaku signed for Manchester United.
Conte was more successful in his endeavor to have the player as his most important striker when Inter Manager, and thanks to the attacking presence and goals of the Belgian, Lukaku de Nerazzurri helped to the title.
Conte and Lukaku help the indictment of Napoli to another scudetto
Some years followed, and the couple worked together again in Napoli in the summer of 2024. Quickly a season and the couple still had a Serie A title in the bag, where she defeated Inter – the team that they had finished 41 points behind a year earlier – to the Scudetto with a single point.
Lukaku Top scored 14 goals for the Partnopei – all from the area – and 10 assists in his league games for the club.
In addition, his shooting accuracy of 61.5% and the conversion rate of 21.9% on elite level impressions, and 35 opportunities created – almost one per game – improved his attacking bravery.
Serious injury means that Partnopei must sign a new striker
So, an annoying thigh injury to the Belgian who was sustained during the pre-season-friendly Olympiacos, who will keep him out of operation between three and four months, is clear something that can limit the excellence of Napoli for the goal in 2025/26.
With a few more days left from the summer transfer window, Conte and Napoli President, Aurelio de Laurentiis, must be on the same page in terms of a replacement.
Given the physical qualities of Lukaku, it is no surprise that from favorite Manchester United attackers Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund are linked to a movement.
Both have previously played in Italy, the Dutchman with Parma (on loan) and Bologna, and the Dane with Atalanta, and that is of a clear advantage.
What is not is their bad return for the goal, because both have been in the Theater of Dreams.
In 52 games in all competitions during 24/25, Hojlund only knew 10 goals and two assists, while the 49 games of Zirkzee only produced seven goals and two assists.
A collective 17 goals and four assists in 101 performances is far below the level needed to keep Napoli at the sharp end of the Serie A until Lukaku returns, not to mention the Champions League assignments in the meantime.
However, several reports now suggest that Hojlund is in fact close to a loan movement with an obligation of € 45 million to buy if certain conditions are met.
With only the finer details to be smoothed, it may not take long before the DANE can end his Old Trafford Hell.
Dovby and Mateta still in the frame?
Hojlund will probably be great to return to Italy. He certainly did not settle in United, and with Benjamin Sesko who recently signed, the chance that he will get a little more than fleeting minutes here and there is low.
Must a deal for both man utd. Star is not appearing, Roma's Artem Dovbyk and Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta is also supposed to still be in the frame.
After having lost Ebereechi Eze to Arsenal, it is doubtful that Palace Manager, Oliver Glasner, and owner, Steve Parish, would go with losing the Frenchman.
That's because his 17 goals and four assists last season – the same amount as Hojlund and Zirkzee combined – saw him finish the campaign as a top scorer for Eze.
In terms of his physical presence and skills in the penalty area, it is disputable that he would also be the most like-for-like replacement for Lukaku. Right man, maybe wrong time.
Is the left-feet Dovbyk the man?
Dovbyk currently also has the attraction to work in Italy, and indeed, he was the replacement of Lukaku in the Stadio Olimpico.
After 24 goals for Girona in Laliga, he helped him earn the move to Roma for the 24/25 campaign, he scored again with 12 goals in the Italian flight and 17 in all competitions.
The Ukrainian is a left foot text such as Lukaku, and its 74.9% pass -in the Series A also surpasses all those other players, Bar Hojlund who currently remain interesting.
Whether the Giallorossi would actually enter to sell their chief to one of their domestic rivals is a different story.
Lecce's Nikola Krstovic could have been the perfect solution
Lecce's Nikola Krstovic was also a potential rent for Napoli until he drew for Atalanta, and his number was, in the context of the 24/25 season of Lecce, perhaps the most impressive.
His 11 league goals were almost a third of the 27 that the team scored, and demonstrably went a long way to keep Lecce up. A 17th place finish and only three points above relegation shows how close they were with the B-Valleur series.
In a better team there is a convincing argument that the Montenegrin could be the most powerful of the couple, but atalanta and not Napoli will enjoy the advantage of its services.
There is no time for Conte and the Laurentiis to play Russian roulette now, so the hope will be that anyone who chooses to fill the emptiness that has created the absence of Lukaku can touch the ground, running from the first moment that they put on the famous heaven -blue shirt.