On Friday the news broke that Massimiliano Allegri will leave Italian champions Juventus at the end of the season. The Italian coach has helped Bianconeri to five straight Scudetto’s and two Champions League finals.
Allegri will hold a press conference later today alongside club president Andrea Agnelli to confirm the news. Reportedly his exit is relating to behind-the-scenes issues. Juventus will now be looking for a new coach for next season. Meanwhile the highly-rated Allegri will be in-demand this summer. It could be an interesting summer for both parties.
Allegri long linked with a Juventus exit
Max Allegri has earned himself a reputation as one of the elite coaches in European football in recent years, courtesy of his trophy haul in Turin. The former AC Milan boss has been linked with an exit in the last two summers, only to stay with the Italian champions.
The likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United have all previously been named as potential destinations for Allegri, who will likely be in demand, despite his perceived failure in the Champions League with the Italian giants in recent seasons.
Allegri is still a highly-rated boss within the game. In fact, media reports last month suggested that Allegri is the favourite for the Chelsea job this summer if compatriot Maurizio Sarri leaves the south west London club.
Major names linked with the vacant position
The Juventus job is one of the biggest in the European game. Therefore, it is understandable that a number of high-profile bosses are in the running for the job this summer.
One of the front-runners for the job is former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte, who helped the Bianconeri to begin their current domination of the Italian top-flight. The likes of Simone Inzaghi, Jose Mourinho and ironically Sarri are also high in the betting for the position.
Mourinho has a chequered history with Juve from his time with Inter, though. His relationship with star player Cristiano Ronaldo is also reportedly decidedly frosty. Inzaghi has performed well at Lazio. However, the job may be too big for him at this stage of his management career.
Sarri is an interesting one. He is not universally loved at Chelsea, despite guiding the Blues to third-place in the Premier League and reaching the Europa League final. A swap with Allegri does not seem to be out of the question this summer.
Juventus desperately want to win the Champions League
While there is no question that Juventus enjoy their dominance in Serie A, the Italian giants desperately want to win the Champions League. The Bianconeri are no doubt one of the biggest clubs in Europe. Yet do not have the European trophies to prove it.
The signing of signing serial Champions League winner Ronaldo from Real Madrid showed their desperation to win Europe’s elite competition this season. However, once again they fail and it seems some at the club holds Allegri responsible for that failure.
The Champions League is not an easy trophy to win, so with or without Allegri next season, Juventus will find it tough to lift the biggest trophy in the European game.
Who will be the next Juventus boss?
