Atalanta manager Conte resigns

(GSM) – Antonio Conte’s first Serie A job has ended as a disappointment. The Atalanta coach handed in his resignation during a meeting with club officials Thursday morning. The Nerazzurri are yet to appoint a successor to Conte.

Atalanta only earned thirteen points from their first seventeen league matches and they are just one point above last-place Siena.

The Nerazzurri slipped to a 2-0 home defeat against Napoli yesterday, sparking a wave of protests outside the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia. Conte tried to present his resignation last night but it was rejected by the Atalanta directors.

However, the former Juventus captain announced today that he has become the second coach this season to leave the relegation-threatened team.

“This is right at this time,” said Conte as he left Atalanta’s training ground. “It’s me who’s decided to leave. “I already presented my resignation last night, but I was rejected. Having reflected on it all night, I then decided to present it again.

“My regret is that I couldn’t do all that I had in mind, but I leave a lively squad, very lively, with which I got 13 points, so it’s not a disaster. Is it a black mark in my career? No, if anything the black mark is that what happened yesterday with the fans.”

Conte only worked for six months at Atalanta. He joined the Nerazzurri after he left Bari, last summer.