It never looked to be a simple proposition if Juventus wanted to hire Antonio Conte as manager for a second time. That, of course, is due in large part thanks to him actually being employed by the club that he just led to the Scudetto, and even with all of the rumors of him potentially leaving it’s not like Napoli weren’t going to do all they could to convince him to stay for a second season.
After multiple days of meetings both before and after meeting the new Pope, Thursday night saw the answer that will certainly have some sort of domino effect.
According to multiple reports out of Italy, Conte has decided to stay with Napoli for a second season, much to the delight of owner Aurelio De Laurentiis and club supporters alike. A hint could have been that the man who Napoli were rumored to have lined up to replace Conte in Naples if he were to leave, Max Allegri, just signed on the dotted line to return to the San Siro and manage at Milan after a decade-plus since his firing, but now sees two of the biggest names on the Serie A managerial radar off the board, leaving Juventus without the chance of their second reunion with a manager within a couple of years.
Instead of seeing Conte return to the Allianz Stadium, Juventus’ new-look and soon-to-be Cristiano Giuntoli-less front office will have to make a decision: Do they stick with Igor Tudor for another season or go in a different direction?
If Conte was indeed Juventus’ top managerial target this summer like we heard earlier this month, then where they pivot is going to depend on what this new-look front office decides. Do they stick with Tudor for another season and see if he can build off what he did during his nine-game stint as interim manager? Do they go with somebody with plenty of experience like — gulp — Stefano Pioli or Roberto Mancini? Or do they go the young manager route again with somebody like Raffaele Palladino — who has reportedly resigned due to tension with the front office at Fiorentina — even with the risk that they took just 12 months ago with Thiago Motta?
Tudor will be coaching Juventus at the Club World Cup, his agent confirmed earlier this week. But beyond that, it’s pretty much anybody’s guess at this point. And that was before the news broke earlier Thursday that Giuntoli was going to be let go after a 2024-25 season that was far from anything a club like Juventus should call a success.
For now, though, it won’t be Conte rocking a nice black suit and leading Juventus in their season opener in August. Things can always change with Conte — we know that better than anybody — but for now it looks like a second season at Napoli is most definitely a go.