Five reasons why Antonio Conte could really join AS Roma next season
- Emanuele Giulianelli @EmaGiulianelli
The first time I heard the rumors about a possible link between AS Roma and Antonio Conte, with the former Chelsea coach among the candidates to sit on the Giallorossi's bench, I confess you I was a bit sceptical. But now, week after week and day after day, I'm becoming more and more confident that the hypothesis that seemed so unlikely to me could really become true.
Here are five reasons why this move could really happen and become official in the next weeks.
1. The project
"I still don't know where I will go but I will definitely choose a team that has a project that convinces me" (Antonio Conte at "EPCC" on Sky Italia TV, 18 April).
The first time that Antonio Conte revealed that he wants to come back to management and made clear that he wants to come back to Italy, was on Italian Sky TV, at the show by Alessandro Cattelan, when playing a game with cards to reveal his future, he has talked about what's important to his decision. The project is what he's looking for; and which club in Italy has got a project? With a Champions League semifinal last year, a stadium to be built up, some of the most important young stars of the future of European football, Roma could be considered to have a project. Maybe not so clear, but that could be enough for Conte to start again.
2. The challenge
"Antonio likes the challenges. Roma is not an easy place to work, but Conte likes this kind of challenges" (Michelangelo Rampulla, former Conte's teammate, at Forzroma.info, 24 April).
AS Roma are not one of the teams of the traditional elite of Italian and European football; but they are a team from a capital city, from one of the cities most famous all around the world. Roma's last victory in Serie A was on 2001: the time has come to make them great again, to bring back a Scudetto to one of the most fervent supporters in the world. And who could take on a challenge so hard, competing with an unbeatable Juventus? His hiring by Roma could in many ways be reminiscent of what happened at the end of the 90s with the arrival on the Giallorossi's bench of Fabio Capello; and with him Roma won the league.
3. The players
"Conte and Petrachi meeting in Turin: pact for Zaniolo" (La Repubblica newspaper 29 April)
After the bad ending of the contract with Monchi, Roma have indentified the next sports director very likely in Gianluca Petrachi, who is currently working at Torino. He and Antonio Conte are very close friends, having played together at Lecce, the city where they were both born. Last Sunday night they were seen together at the stadium watching the match between Torino and Milan; the newspaper La Repubblica reveals that they have had a meeting and talked about the future of Roma's squad. Conte is reported to have asked Petrachi to keep all the best players in the squad, above all Zaniolo and Manolas. Antonio Conte is sure that AS Roma have many potential stars in their side and, to accept their proposal, he wants to be assured that they won't sell any of them.
Conte and Petrachi could even have talked about a possible series of moves between Torino and Roma: Izzo, Meite and Belotti could be three of the first names the former Italian national coach could look to bring to AS Roma.
4. The other clubs
"Pallotta is waiting for Conte. The clash is against Juventus" (Il Messaggero newspaper, 27 April)
Another clue that can push in the direction of Conte to Roma is the fact that there're not so many important managers available and he is without a club. Inter want to take Conte, but the Nerazzurri side lacks a project (point 1); PSG are very attracted, but he doesn't seem so interested in Ligue 1. The only club that could make him waver in front of the offer by Roma is Juventus: that's why he has decided to wait two weeks to give an answer to James Pallotta. But I'm not so sure that Allegri will leave the Bianconeri after the bad elimination by Ajax: his willing for revenge is too big to give up.
5. Money
"Roma to the assault of Conte: offered three years of contract at 9.5 million" (Il Corriere della Sera newspaper, 25 April)
AS Roma's president is one who spares no expenses, as he has shown in many transfer windows when his side has been among the ones that has spent more money to buy new players; and, in order to have Conte, he has decided to make a really big offer to him, a contract of 9.5 million Euro a year for three years. A wage that could really be accepted by Conte, who has firstly to solve his economical problems with Chelsea.
In the next two weeks we will know more, maybe something definitive about the future of Antonio Conte. But I really won't be surprised if it was at AS Roma.
And I can confess that I would really be happy with it.
Here are five reasons why this move could really happen and become official in the next weeks.
1. The project
"I still don't know where I will go but I will definitely choose a team that has a project that convinces me" (Antonio Conte at "EPCC" on Sky Italia TV, 18 April).
The first time that Antonio Conte revealed that he wants to come back to management and made clear that he wants to come back to Italy, was on Italian Sky TV, at the show by Alessandro Cattelan, when playing a game with cards to reveal his future, he has talked about what's important to his decision. The project is what he's looking for; and which club in Italy has got a project? With a Champions League semifinal last year, a stadium to be built up, some of the most important young stars of the future of European football, Roma could be considered to have a project. Maybe not so clear, but that could be enough for Conte to start again.
2. The challenge
"Antonio likes the challenges. Roma is not an easy place to work, but Conte likes this kind of challenges" (Michelangelo Rampulla, former Conte's teammate, at Forzroma.info, 24 April).
AS Roma are not one of the teams of the traditional elite of Italian and European football; but they are a team from a capital city, from one of the cities most famous all around the world. Roma's last victory in Serie A was on 2001: the time has come to make them great again, to bring back a Scudetto to one of the most fervent supporters in the world. And who could take on a challenge so hard, competing with an unbeatable Juventus? His hiring by Roma could in many ways be reminiscent of what happened at the end of the 90s with the arrival on the Giallorossi's bench of Fabio Capello; and with him Roma won the league.
3. The players
"Conte and Petrachi meeting in Turin: pact for Zaniolo" (La Repubblica newspaper 29 April)
After the bad ending of the contract with Monchi, Roma have indentified the next sports director very likely in Gianluca Petrachi, who is currently working at Torino. He and Antonio Conte are very close friends, having played together at Lecce, the city where they were both born. Last Sunday night they were seen together at the stadium watching the match between Torino and Milan; the newspaper La Repubblica reveals that they have had a meeting and talked about the future of Roma's squad. Conte is reported to have asked Petrachi to keep all the best players in the squad, above all Zaniolo and Manolas. Antonio Conte is sure that AS Roma have many potential stars in their side and, to accept their proposal, he wants to be assured that they won't sell any of them.
Conte and Petrachi could even have talked about a possible series of moves between Torino and Roma: Izzo, Meite and Belotti could be three of the first names the former Italian national coach could look to bring to AS Roma.
4. The other clubs
"Pallotta is waiting for Conte. The clash is against Juventus" (Il Messaggero newspaper, 27 April)
Another clue that can push in the direction of Conte to Roma is the fact that there're not so many important managers available and he is without a club. Inter want to take Conte, but the Nerazzurri side lacks a project (point 1); PSG are very attracted, but he doesn't seem so interested in Ligue 1. The only club that could make him waver in front of the offer by Roma is Juventus: that's why he has decided to wait two weeks to give an answer to James Pallotta. But I'm not so sure that Allegri will leave the Bianconeri after the bad elimination by Ajax: his willing for revenge is too big to give up.
5. Money
"Roma to the assault of Conte: offered three years of contract at 9.5 million" (Il Corriere della Sera newspaper, 25 April)
AS Roma's president is one who spares no expenses, as he has shown in many transfer windows when his side has been among the ones that has spent more money to buy new players; and, in order to have Conte, he has decided to make a really big offer to him, a contract of 9.5 million Euro a year for three years. A wage that could really be accepted by Conte, who has firstly to solve his economical problems with Chelsea.
In the next two weeks we will know more, maybe something definitive about the future of Antonio Conte. But I really won't be surprised if it was at AS Roma.
And I can confess that I would really be happy with it.