Antonio Conte could leave Inter Milan TODAY as he faces his ‘day of truth’ with a face-to-face meeting with club president Steven Zhang… while Massimiliano Allegri waits in the wings
- Antonio Conte’s future at Inter Milan is in doubt and he could quit this summer
- The Italian fell out with the club’s board and failed to deliver a trophy this season
- Conte admitted he could walk away from Inter after Friday’s defeat to Sevilla
- He will have talks with Inter president Steven Zhang on Tuesday to sort his future
Antonio Conte will have face-to-face talks with Inter Milan president Steven Zhang on Tuesday about his future at the Serie A club, according to reports.
The Italian coach admitted after Friday night’s Europa League final defeat to Sevilla that he could depart the San Siro this summer after just one trophyless season in charge.
Conte fell out with the Inter hierarchy over the course of the campaign and had a public and aggressive rant against the board after the Nerazzuri missed out on Juventus’ top-flight title by just a point last month.
Antonio Conte (left) will have talks with Inter Milan president Steven Zhang on Tuesday
Conte could quit Inter after Friday’s Europa League final loss confirmed a trophyless season
And according to Italian news outlet Gazzetta dello Sport, Conte’s fate will be decided on Tuesday with ex-Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri lined up as a replacement should he leave Inter.
Conte’s future at Inter Milan was already in doubt before the Europa League final defeat, but the loss confirmed the Serie A club’s trophyless campaign and plunged the Italian coach into more uncertainty.
After the final game of the Serie A season, the Italian claimed his team were not protected by the club during the coronavirus pandemic, saying the players had to ‘eat dung’.
After the 3-2 loss to Sevilla on Friday, Conte announced: ‘It has been difficult and we’ll figure things out. It has been wonderful for me to be the coach of Inter, I thank the owners who allowed me to go through this great experience.
The Italian told reports after the Sevilla defeat that he could walk away from the club this year
Ex-Juventus man Massimiliano Allegri is widely tipped to be the man to replace Conte at Inter
‘If some situations end up affecting my family, that is no longer enough for me. Everything has its limits, I have to see where my limits are.
‘We’ll clarify the situation, without rancour. Something happened, there’s no point beating around the bush. We have to see whether everyone is prepared to not have another year like this for what happened with me.
‘There are a few situations I will evaluate, it’s only right the President evaluates it too, I’ll tell the directors my views.’
Zhang, meanwhile, gave Conte a vote of confidence despite the crushing loss in Cologne, which came via Romelu Lukaku’s late own goal.
Zhang (right) gave Conte (left) a vote of confidence after the crushing 3-2 loss to Sevilla
The Inter president claimed: ‘The evaluation is good. Our path has allowed us to get to a final and play in a historic match.
‘We are playing really well, winning or losing is part of football but we came to the final full of confidence.
‘We will rest, that’s what the players and the staff deserve. In the coming weeks and months we will talk about the future but what is certain is that we want to improve.
‘It hasn’t worked out this time, but we’ll try again next year. That’s the beauty of sport – to try your best and try to improve.’
Zhang brought Conte to the club last summer and provided him with big-money signings
But Conte (middle) has failed to deliver a trophy and also fell out with the Inter Milan hierarchy
Should Conte decide to walk away from Inter, then the club are likely to turn to Allegri to take the club forward.
The 53-year-old has been out of a job since leaving reigning Italian champions Juventus last summer – but Allegri is also wanted by Paris Saint-Germain, according to reports.
Allegri was the man who replaced Conte as the Old Lady coach in 2016, when the latter took up the role of Italian national team coach.