Antonio Conte hints at potential Juve reunion

Manager Antonio Conte is currently enjoying time away from the sport.

The Italian coach last manned the sidelines for Tottenham Hotspur, but departed the club in March.

His stay in north London lasted just 16 months. The relatively unsuccessful stay with the Premier League side was also the first time he failed to win a trophy with a club since managing Siena from 2010 to 2011.

Conte has been linked with multiple teams since departing Spurs. This includes a potential return to Serie A with either Napoli or Roma.

However, neither of these moves eventually panned out. The veteran manager has now hinted that he may soon rejoin Juventus.

Coach compares possible reunion with Juve as a marriage

Conte previously played for the Old Lady for a majority of his career as a midfielder. He managed to rack up over 400 total appearances for the Italian giants in 13 seasons with the club.

He then returned to the team as a manager ahead of the 2011/12 campaign. The Italian won the Serie A title in all three seasons at the helm with Juve before moving to Chelsea in 2014.

The former Juve boss opened up about the possibility of a reunion during a recent interview. “Marriages are always done in two, you can always dream and hope to get married another time,” explained Conte.

“The important thing is that there is a sharing of thoughts. At the moment I’m enjoying the free time I have. I continue to study and look around to broaden my knowledge.”

“If something important happens, which gives me the emotions I need, I will certainly go back to work. I was a good footballer, I give myself an 8. And I became one thanks to work, perseverance, resilience, and the desire to always improve. I was good but not a champion, because my performance was based on running, sacrifice, sweat. As a coach, however, I recognize that talent that I didn’t have as a footballer.”

Juve is playing well under current coach

Conte’s comments come at an interesting time for Juve. The club is currently off to a solid start in the current campaign and find themselves second in the Serie A standings. This is despite the fact that they have lost Paul Pogba for the remainder of the season and are dealing with various injuries. In fact, Juve has lost just one league match so far this season. They currently find themselves just two points behind league leaders Inter Milan.

The club’s current coach, Max Allegri, is receiving praise by Italian pundits for guiding the team through tough times. Juve was hit with a 10-point penalty last season for financial irregularities. Despite the punishment, the Old Lady still finished seventh in the standings. They would have grabbed a Champions League spot if not for the penalty.

With Juve playing well under Allegri, team brass will unlikely make a managerial move in the near future. This would obviously put a damper on a reunion with Conte. Nevertheless, the Italian manager seems content to wait for the right opportunity. A potential homecoming for the coach may come somewhere down the line.

Photo credit: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire