Tottenham manager Antonio Conte has been linked with a return to Juventus, with tongues wagging over a sighting of the Italian in Turin
(Image credit: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte is again the subject of rumours linking him to the Juventus job.
The Italian will forever have a strong bond with the Old Lady, after winning the Champions League there in 1996 before making his name as one of the heavyweights of world management in a spell between 2011 and 2014 in which he landed three successive Scudettos.
The two-time European champions are struggling right now after defeat to Monza left them eighth in Serie A – and current manager Massimiliano Allegri is coming under increasing fire. Allegri replaced Conte in 2014 before being rehired in 2019 – and now, reports claiming that Conte could in turn succeed his successor at the Allianz Stadium have snowballed, following a sighting in Italy.
Max Allegri is increasingly under pressure at Juventus (Image credit: Getty Images)
According to Italian outlet Il Bianconero, the Lilywhites head coach has been spotted in Turin in recent days. Tottenham played Brighton on Saturday evening and host Europa League holders Eintracht Frankfurt in north London tonight.
Despite the excitement from Juve fans, however, the likelihood of the 53-year-old serial winner actually departing the Premier League still feels wholly unlikely.
Conte has shut down speculation linking him with the job in recent weeks, telling reporters that he is happy in north London, while Juventus have backed their manager publicly, too. Juve chief Andrea Agnelli even went as far as telling Sky Italia that Allegri would remain in charge of the club after an embarrassing 2-0 defeat to Maccabi Haifa in the Champions League this week.
"In this kind of situation you can’t blame one single person, it’s the whole group," Agnelli said, with Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano simply tweeting, "Massimiliano Allegri, confirmed as Juventus manager" after the shock defeat.
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Juventus are in a rough patch and suffered a shock defeat to Israeli minnows Maccabi Haifa in the Champions League this week (Image credit: Tullio Puglia - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Conte has even looked to the future to confirm that Spurs will be looking to sign loanee Dejan Kulusevski permanently – though one thing that Conte has claimed he misses about his homeland is Sky Italia, who he has worked with previously in a TV role.
Tottenham sit third in the league, with six wins from their opening nine games.
Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn't receive a winners' medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson's season at Barcelona to Robinho's career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.
