Despite being very close to securing a berth in next season’s UEFA Champions League, reports say former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is nearing a deal to manage the Nerazzurri next season.
Our brothers at We Ain’t Got No History, sited both Fabrizio Romano and Gianluca Di Marzio as saying Conte had not talked to Juventus, but was “close” to a deal to come to the Giuseppe Meazza next season.
Sky Sports also reported that Conte was nearing a deal to end his hiatus and return to managing. The outlet suggested that Inter Milan would only part ways with current manager Luciano Spalletti if they could get an agreement with Conte.
Conte spent most of his managerial career in Italy, starting with Sienna as an assistant manager in 2005. He spent two seasons in Arezzo followed by a season at Bari and Atalanta before returning to manage Sienna in 2010.
He spent three seasons with Juventus – winning the Scudetto all three seasons – before taking charge of the Italian national team in 2014. After a season as the national team coach, Conte went on to manage Chelsea for two season. He helped the Blues win the Premier League title in 2017 and the FA Cup in 2018.
It was after the FA Cup win he was sacked.
Since then, he has been out of work while battling Chelsea on contract payouts.
Now, I know that with some in the community, a popular choice to replace Spalletti is Jose Mourinho – who won the treble with the Nerazzurri in 2009-2010 – but, I think Conte is actually a better fit.
While Mourinho has won more titles as a manager, I believe actions during his last season in charge of Manchester United speak volumes.
Locker room dissent, battling players publicly and generally being somewhat combative I don’t think make Mourinho a good fit for Inter now. And that is the important thing to keep in mind. We are talking about NOW, not 10 years ago. A lot can change in that time, and it seems it has for Mourinho.
Honestly, I think Mourinho would be a great fit in the broadcast booth for one of the international networks covering football. He is open and honest about what he believes and that makes for very good television.
As for Conte, things appear to still be up on the air on his plans, but if you believe the media reports, he is one step closer to being Inter Milan’s next manager.
What do you think? Post your comments below!