Conte back to Juventus? Tottenham fears eased by Bianconeri legend Del Piero

• Coach boasts strong ties to Turin
• Allegri struggling at Serie A heavyweights
• Still a job to do in north London

WHAT HAPPENED? The former Bianconeri player and coach has enjoyed considerable success with the Turin heavyweights in the past, but last severed ties with them back in 2014. Juve are finding the going tough at present, with Massimiliano Allegri struggling to bring the best out of a star-studded squad, and there have been suggestions that the Serie A giants could turn to another familiar face for much-needed inspiration.

WHAT THEY SAID: Del Piero, who is a former team-mate of Conte, doubts the Italian tactician will consider a return to Italy with so much left to achieve in England, telling PA Sport: “I think now everybody talks about that because Conte did so well at Juve, because the fans love him and because Juve has some problems but I don’t think at the moment there is any conversations. This is my personal belief and what I think, nothing that I know to be honest.

“I think now Antonio is very concentrated for what he is doing at Tottenham Hotspur and the fact they made the round of 16 [in the Champions League] is a big thing. He was able to grow the team last year from the ninth place so he started a journey that is still going well and he has a lot of things to do there. I think he is concentrated as much as he can on this reality that is for him Tottenham.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Del Piero added on the interest being shown in managers operating outside of their homeland, with another highly-rated Italian delivering more major silverware at Real Madrid: “We keep looking and following all the Italians that are not in Italy like him [Conte], like [Carlo] Ancelotti and I think Italians are looking at Antonio to see if he is able to win a trophy with Tottenham. I mean Tottenham is a great club in England but the trophy is the thing missing for so long, so I think everybody is looking to see if the team and himself can make it through this journey to win a trophy.”

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT? Conte guided Spurs to a top-four finish last season, returning them to a Champions League stage, and currently has them sat third in the Premier League table heading into a crunch clash with Liverpool on Sunday.