"DON'T JUMP SHIP!" — ANTONIO CONTE’S EXPLOSIVE WARNING TO NAPOLI STARS AFTER JUVENTUS ROUT
Scott McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund fail to fire as Juventus crush Napoli 3-0. Discover Conte’s defiant post-match reaction.
Napoli just fell nine points behind in the Serie A title chase after Scott McTominay and the rest of the squad took a heavy 3-0 loss against Juventus.
The defending champs barely put up a fight at the Allianz Stadium in Turin. Juventus looked sharp, closing the gap with Napoli to just a single point. Right now, Gli Azzurri sit fourth with 43 points, Juventus are right behind on 42, and Inter still lead the pack with 52. If Antonio Conte’s side wants to catch up, they’ve got a lot of work to do.
McTominay played the whole match for Napoli but couldn’t change the game. Frustration was obvious for the visitors. Rasmus Hojlund, on loan from Manchester United, struggled again and didn’t make much of a difference up front. While his parent club edged out Arsenal 3-2 in London, Hojlund missed two decent chances in Turin. He hasn’t scored for Napoli since late December.
Romelu Lukaku finally got back on the pitch after his injury, but with just 12 minutes left, the result was already settled. Juventus were two goals up—Jonathan David bagged the first, Kenan Yildiz added another, and Filip Kostic finished things off near the end with a third.
Napoli are still missing another Scot, Billy Gilmour, and creative midfielder Kevin De Bruyne is out hurt as well. Next up, Chelsea comes to Naples on Wednesday night. Napoli really needs a win to stay in the hunt for a Champions League play-off spot.
Conte faced up to the defeat but made it clear Napoli aren’t about to give up on the Scudetto—even with all these injuries.
Conte didn’t sugarcoat things:
“As long as it was 1-0, it felt close—like we might grab a draw,” he said. “But after their second goal, things opened up, and then they scored a third. Credit to them, but also to my guys. There’s not much to say or criticise. Even here in Turin, they gave everything.
“Sometimes you get past these obstacles, sometimes you don’t. For the first time in my career, I had to bring on a player [Giovane]. I’d never even seen him in training—a kid who just joined us Saturday. That tells you something about what we’re dealing with right now.
“But we’re not quitting. We know the situation, and we’ll keep pushing. It feels like we’re out at sea in a storm, but we’re not bailing. If someone wants to jump ship, fine—they can swim to shore. The rest of us are staying on board, ready to fight with everything we’ve got, whatever comes our way.”
10-WEEK WAIT: WHAT DID BILLY GILMOUR DO DURING HIS LONG RECOVERY PERIOD IN LONDON?
Billy Gilmour is back: Analyse his return against Roma and the latest news on Scott McTominay's new 2030 Napoli contract talks.
Billy Gilmour couldn’t hide his excitement after finally shaking off his injury. Those ten weeks on the sidelines felt like forever, honestly.
He made his return on Sunday, stepping onto the pitch for the first time since November 1. Gilmour came on with just 11 minutes left in Napoli’s 2-2 draw against Roma and didn’t waste any time; he played a key pass that set up Alisson Santos’ equaliser only three minutes after coming on.
Gilmour, who used to run the midfield for Chelsea and Brighton, had been part of the Scotland squad that booked a spot at next summer’s World Cup in North America. Still, he missed those crucial games against Greece and Denmark and ended up needing surgery for a hernia right after.
While he was out, things got rough for Napoli. They slipped out of the title race and crashed out early from both the Champions League and Coppa Italia.
But for Gilmour, just being back on the pitch meant everything. He posted on Instagram: “First steps in 2026. There’s no better feeling than being on the pitch and doing it in front of your fans! It’s been a long 10 weeks; now I’m back doing what I love with this team. Forza Napoli Sempre!”
In other news, Scott McTominay, Gilmour’s teammate for both club and country, is in talks over a new Napoli contract. Since joining Manchester United for £27.5 million a year and a half ago, McTominay’s been a game-changer, banging in 12 goals during Napoli’s title run and picking up the league’s player of the year award.
He’s missed the last couple of matches but looks set to return against Atalanta on Sunday. With two and a half years left on his current deal, Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport says his agent and the club are already discussing improved terms.
NAPLES OR MANCHESTER? SCOTT MCTOMINAY’S AGENT HOLDS CRITICAL CONTRACT TALKS WITH NAPOLI
Scott McTominay's agent is in Naples! Discover the details of the 2030 contract offer and why Manchester United want him back now.
Scott McTominay’s team has sat down with Napoli’s sporting director, Giovanni Manna, to talk about a possible contract extension at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. After 22 years at Manchester United, McTominay, now 29, made a £25.7 million move to Naples in August 2024.
He wasted no time making an impact. In his first season with Napoli, he played a key role as they clinched their second Serie A title in three years. He didn’t just help them win; he was named the league’s MVP. McTominay racked up 12 goals and six assists during that title run.
He’s kept up that form this season, too. So far, he’s scored 10 goals and picked up four assists across Serie A and the Champions League. Lately, though, he’s missed the last two matches, including Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Roma, after picking up an injury in the win over Genoa on February 7.
Even with him sidelined, there’s plenty of talk about his future in Naples. Corriere dello Sport says Napoli is already working on a new, improved contract for McTominay, who’s signed until 2028, after his standout first 18 months in Italy.
Antonio Conte’s side wants to keep him at the club until at least 2030. Reports say McTominay’s agent has flown to Naples for talks, and negotiations with Manna about the new deal are already underway.
So far, they haven’t hammered out the details on salary. But after proving himself as one of Serie A’s best, McTominay is set for a pay bump.
All this talk about a new deal comes just days after rumours surfaced about Manchester United being in the mix for McTominay’s return. Tuttomercatoweb reported on Friday that he’s considering heading back to the Premier League in 2026, with United leading the chase.
Supposedly, he and his girlfriend Cam Reading are thinking about a move home, and it sounds like a Premier League return could happen sooner rather than later.
Napoli’s global business development officer, Leonardo Giammarioli, spoke about the transfer buzz last week. He told talkSPORT the club is trying to fend off interest from other teams.
“Yeah, of course I’m worried,” he said. “But honestly, especially with Scott, he’s a great guy, we’d be happy if he reaches the next level in a couple of years. Maybe not now, maybe not next year, but he deserves it.
“Look at Stuttgart, they wanted to keep Nick Woltemade, but when Newcastle offered £65 million, there’s not much you can do. If the player wants to go and the money’s right, it’s tough for Italian clubs. The league keeps losing revenue.”