Allegri takes over at Juventus

Allegri has big shoes to fill. Conte, a former Juventus player, has led the bianconeri to the title for the last three consecutive seasons. It is he that Juventus fans credit for the turnaround in the club, the one that led them from the post-calciopoli horrors to their more familiar comfort zone, standing at the top of Serie A.

And so in comes Allegri -- to the horror of many Juventus fans and the glee of the rest of Serie A. Max Allegri took Milan to the scudetto in 2011, the same year he was appointed, but since then the club have stagnated. Allegri was sacked midway through last season, with the rossoneri ultimately finishing outside the European places.

It’s going to be nigh-on impossible for Juve to find as good a replacement as Conte at this time of the year. As Juventus blog Black & White & Read All Over writes, the bianconeri owe a massive chunk of their recent success to their departing coach:

Without doubt, Conte has worked wonders at Juventus. Before he took charge, they were nothing more than a mid-table side with lofty ambitions of European qualification, still struggling in the aftermath of relegation to Serie B for involvement in the Calciopoli scandal. Now, they’re the undisputed powerhouse of Italian football, and are favourites to romp to a fourth consecutive title.

The prospect of Antonio Conte leaving Juventus is one the club have had to become accustomed to for a while, with speculation over his departure having lingered since last season. However, they probably weren’t expecting to make just a day into their preparations for the new campaign, especially as his contract still had a year to run.

Alas, his departure today means they’re now searching for a new coach at the most inconvenient time possible. Conte went some way to explaining his decision in a video posted on the club’s YouTube channel:

If Conte does indeed walk away from Juventus, it’ll likely pave the way for the sale of Vidal to United. There have also been rumors circulating about the club cashing in on Paul Pogba, who could likely fetch a fee of up to €80m. Juventus have some outstanding debt from clearing their stadium, as well as a large wage bill for their income, so a couple of big sales could put the club in a position to rebuild the squad and become more secure financially as well.

But Conte’s job was the manager of the first team, not a financial one. He didn’t want to sell his best players, and he’s apparently so upset at being forced to do so that he wants nothing to do with being the club’s manager anymore.