Juventus have named former midfielder Antonio Conte as their new coach. Conte replaces the sacked Luigi Del Neri.
A statement on the Juventus web site read:
“Antonio Conte has returned to Juventus. This time though he won’t lead us from the pitch, but from the bench – he is the new coach. Conte has signed a two-year contract which will see him tied to the club until June 30, 2013.”
Conte led Siena to promotion back to Serie A this past season and is returning to Turin where he was at the centre of one of the best midfields in Europe in the 1990s and early 2000s as Juve routinely dominated Serie A and reached the latter stages of the Champions League.
Conte brought Bari up to Serie A two years ago but then left after a row with the board before a short unhappy spell at Atalanta, has been linked with the open Juventus job for weeks.
The last two seasons have been major disappointments for Serie A’s best supported and most successful club. Conte will be given a large transfer budget as Juve looks to the close the gap on Inter and AC Milan.
photo credit: _bianconero