Antonio Conte, the head coach of Tottenham Hotspur, has played down rumours that he might soon return to Juventus.
According to reports, Juventus would like to reunite with Conte if they parted ways with current manager Massimiliano Allegri, but such a chain of events is unlikely due to the club’s dire financial situation – they recently posted annual losses of nearly €250 million.
Conte was questioned about these connections prior to Spurs’ trip to Arsenal in the north London derby this weekend. Italian media has since claimed that Conte would be keen on returning to Turin after spending more than eight years away.
“This is incredible,” Conte laughed. “I think this is disrespectful for the coach that works in Juventus and disrespectful to me because I am working for Tottenham.
“Many times I have spoken about this topic and I’ve always said I’m happy and enjoying my time with Tottenham. We have the whole season to find the best solution for the club and for me. For sure I’m enjoying my time at Tottenham.
“I have a great relationship with the owner [chairman Daniel Levy] and [Fabio] Paratici. I don’t see any problems at the moment in the future. We both signed the contract. I don’t want to listen to someone speaking about this [Juventus links].”
The current Tottenham contract for Conte expires at the end of the current campaign, but the club has a 12-month extension option that can be exercised at any time.