Conte hints that he would like to ‘return’ to former club and lifts lid on incident with Agnelli

Antonio Conte hints that he’d like to return to a club he has already coached and insists he hasn’t regretted showing his middle finger to ex-Juventus President Andrea Agnelli.

The former Juventus, Inter, Chelsea and Tottenham coach released an interview with RAI TV Program Belve, which aired on Tuesday evening.

Some quotes had already been published by Italian media earlier this week. Those included Conte’s admission to having rejected an offer to become Saudi Arabia’s national team coach and his regret at leaving Juventus in 2014.

During the interview, Conte spoke about his personal and professional life, including his plans for the future.

“I try not to think about football when I am at home, but of course, coaches sometimes bring their job home,” he said.

“I am very straightforward and I like people who are like me. I am a bit touchy. I don’t like lies, I want to be very direct. Sometimes I can be very impulsive reacting to some situations. Sometimes I am not patient.”

Conte, a former Juventus player, rated himself as a footballer. “It is 8/10,” he said. “As a coach, I’d rate myself 8.5, but I think I am still young and I can still rise it.

“I had good technique as a footballer, but not the same talent as Alessandro Del Piero or Zizou Zidane,” he continued.

“In the future, I’d like to find a situation where I can make history, also at a European level.”

When asked if he would be looking for a new job in Italy or abroad, he replied: “When you are abroad you understand the beauty of our country, but I don’t know.

“I’ll keep the dream for myself. It takes two people to do a wedding. A coach may desire something for his whole life but then he doesn’t have the chance to go to a determined club or return.”

The interviewer asked: would you even consider a return?

“Yes, even a return,” Conte replied smiling.

Conte won the Serie A title four times as a coach, three for Juventus and once at Inter.

During his time in charge of the Nerazzurri, he clashed with ex-Juventus President Andrea Agnelli in a Coppa Italia game at the Allianz Stadium in 2021, showing his middle finger to the former President of the Old Lady.

“It was a reaction because I felt I had been disrespected,” Conte explained.

“I don’t regret doing it because I didn’t feel there was regret on the opposite side, but then we clarified.”