Arne Slot remains in place as Liverpool manager, but scrutiny is intensifying. Antonio Conte is about to become the latest available coach on the market.
22:09, 19 May 2026Updated 22:10, 19 May 2026
Antonio Conte will cut his contract short and leave Napoli at the end of the season.(Image: Ivan Romano/Getty Images)
Antonio Conte will leave Napoli at the end of the campaign, cutting short his contract in Italy. That will put another big-name manager on the market as Liverpool ponders the fate of Arne Slot.
A decision on Slot’s future will not be settled wholly on the basis of the availability of other candidates, as the decision not to intervene in Xabi Alonso’s move to Chelsea made abundantly clear. But FSG have previously been willing to pull the trigger when the right coach becomes available, having lost patience with Brendan Rodgers on the basis that Jurgen Klopp proved attainable.
Whether Conte is a similarly outstanding candidate is certainly a matter of opinion. But his record is undeniable: he has won Serie A with three different teams, and proved that his methods can translate into a Premier League trophy as well.
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According to CBS, Conte’s departure makes him a leading candidate for the vacant Italy post. That comes after the Azzurri failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third time in a row.
However, any such appointment cannot take place until June 22, when the Italian FA will elect a new president. In the meantime, the report notes that Conte will be available to clubs across Europe.
Going into the final matchday, Conte currently has Napoli in second place. That comes a year after he secured a memorable title, a reminder of his continued quality at a high level.
Conte led Napoli to the Scudetto last season.(Image: SSC NAPOLI/SSC NAPOLI via Getty Images)
So would he be a viable candidate to replace Slot at Liverpool? Could he even be of sufficient caliber to help nudge the Reds into a change?
It would certainly be a departure for Liverpool. Ruben Amorim was among the top candidates in the previous data-backed search for a manager, but his dogged insistence on a back three played a part in Slot emerging as a clear leader.
That formation, of course, is Conte’s trademark. Liverpool would need to accept that before appointing him.
The current personnel does not immediately lend itself to that setup. Liverpool can barely scrape together three center-backs, especially with Ibrahima Konate’s future still not resolved.
Having said that, such a move could theoretically prolong Virgil van Dijk’s stay at the top level. And as a center-back with experience at full-back, Joe Gomez would suit one of the wider berths, assuming he stays at the club beyond the summer.
Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez could theoretically benefit from Antonio Conte joining Liverpool. (Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
It would also come as a relief to Jeremie Frimpong, whom Slot hardly seems to have had a plan for since signing him. The Dutchman is a wing-back by trade, and Conte could give him a new lease of life.
But we are in danger of getting bogged down in specifics. In a bigger-picture sense, Conte is not a very “Liverpool” appointment at all, even setting the formation aside.
In a 20-year coaching career, Conte has never stayed at a club longer than three seasons. He is known for being spiky and combative, and at best he works as a “win now” appointment.
When he doesn’t win, it all goes south even more drastically, as Spurs found out not too long ago. In need of a cultural reset whether or not Slot stays on, Liverpool would surely have major doubts as to whether Conte is the man to deliver it.
If things were to deteriorate rapidly with Slot, forcing Liverpool to let him go before a replacement is lined up, then Conte could enter the frame as one of the most experienced available options. But they would be uncomfortable bedfellows, meaning this abrupt departure is unlikely to force the Reds’ hand.