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Antonio Conte: The Premier League is 'very attractive', says Chelsea target

Conte will leave Italy after Euro 2016

Monday 21 March 2016 14:32 GMT

(Getty Images)

Italy manager Antonio Conte has spoken about the prospect of managing in the Premier League next season - calling it "definitely very attractive".

The former Juventus boss is the odds-on favourite to take over at Chelsea next season having announced last week that he will leave the Italian national team after this summer's European Championships.

Conte, who won three successive Serie A titles with Juventus in his three seasons in charge, is seeking a return to club management, missing the day-to-day involvement that he doesn't get with the Azzurri.

Conte also spoke specifically about Chelsea at a press conference ahead of Italy's international friendlies with Spain and Germany this week.

"Chelsea? It’s not a taboo for me, but I could talk about Italian teams too," Conte said at the press conference.

“At the moment my thoughts and my pain are reserved for a choice [leaving the national team] that is not superficial and without heartache. I’ve taken the choice, and now we’ll see what the future holds, if there’s something beautiful in Italy or abroad. These choices are never taken lightly.

"What’s certain is that I won’t be [Italy manager] for the next two years, my intention is to return to a club. After the Euro qualifiers, I was filled with satisfaction in seeing a group which was doing what I had asked.

11 facts about Antonio Conte

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1/1111 facts about Antonio Conte

11 facts about Antonio Conte

FACT ONE

Conte has managed Arezzo, Bari, Atalanta, Siena, Juventus and the Italian national team

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11 facts about Antonio Conte

FACT TWO

In his first job at Arezzo he was sacked over poor results, reinstated later in the same season, but oversaw relegation to Serie C.

2009 Getty Images

11 facts about Antonio Conte

FACT THREE

Conte impressed in his early managerial jobs at Bari and Siena, getting both sides promoted to Serie A during his spell in charge.

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11 facts about Antonio Conte

FACT FOUR

That earned him the job at Juventus where he won three Seria A titles in the three years he was in charge. He also won two Supercoppa titles and was named Serie A coach of the year in all three of his seasons in Turin.

2013 AFP

11 facts about Antonio Conte

FACT FIVE

In 2012 Conte was suspended for 10 months, later reduced to four, for his alleged failure to report two incidents of match-fixing while in charge of Siena.

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11 facts about Antonio Conte

FACT SIX

Midfield legend Andrea Pirlo said of Conte: "I am extremely lucky I met Antonio Conte, I had so many coaches to compare him too, and he is the one who surprised me the most. I was expecting a good coach, but not that good."

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11 facts about Antonio Conte

FACT SEVEN

Conte started his playing career at Lecce but it was with Juventus that he made his name. With over 300 appearances he won five Serie A titles, a Champions League medal in 1996 as well as numerous other cups.

11 facts about Antonio Conte

FACT EIGHT

On the international stage, he was a part of the Italian teams that reached the finals of the 1994 World Cup and Euro 2000.

11 facts about Antonio Conte

FACT NINE

Italy and Juventus legend Gianluigi Buffon said of Conte: "The secret of our success is the ambition our coach has. Conte has brought a new mentality to the club. He has pushed us to sweat, to find strength and to undergo hard work in order to cancel out the last two disappointing campaigns."

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11 facts about Antonio Conte

FACT 10

Conte was appointed as Italy manager following a poor showing from the Azzurri at the 2014 World Cup. So far, so good, with Italy topping their Euro 2016 qualification group ahead of Croatia, Norway, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan and Malta with a record of seven wins and three draws. At this summer's tournament in France they have been grouped together with Belgium, Republic of Ireland and Sweden.

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11 facts about Antonio Conte

FACT 11

Conte is not afraid to go toe-to-toe with fellow managers. In a row with former Chelsea interim-boss Rafa Benitez, the pair became involved in a war of words over whether Juventus or Napoli had spent more on players. This is what Conte said: "We have invested 25 million euros in our team, they have spent more than 100. They have spent in one year what we have spent in three, but they are 17 points behind us and out of Europe. People need to get their facts right and not spread misleading messages. I hope Benitez will check his calculations."

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"At that time I considered whether there was a chance to continue, but four months went past and it was very hard, to go four months without working and then think about another two years like that. It was difficult from that point of view. You have to understand where you’re happy, I’d have had a hard time staying in the garage.

"You can't get the smell of the pitch. You have to be objective, and understand that there are times when being [Italy manager] is a millstone. It was for [Cesare] Prandelli, and it will be for the next person."

The 46-year-old was then asked about the prospect of managing in England.

He added: "The Premier League? I think the English national team is very strong too, just look at the qualifying campaign they had.

"English football is definitely very attractive at the moment for players and voaches, not least because it's a very interesting league from many points of view."

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