Rumours had been circulating that Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri was set to replace Arsene Wenger as Arsenal boss.
Massimo Allegri – Juventus
After much speculation regarding both his own future and the future of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, any chance of Juventus boss joining Arsenal this summer appears to have been quashed after the Italian signed a new deal with the Turin club, according to a report in The Sun.
Allegri has signed a contract extension which will keep him at Juventus until 2020, seemingly dashing any hopes from Arsenal or Barcelona, who will also be without a manager in the summer.
The deal is expected to be made official after Juventus’ upcoming Champions League clash with Monaco, and will likely be applauded by fans of the Turin club. But should Arsenal fans feel like they’ve missed out?
Since joining Juventus in 2014, taking over from the now Chelsea boss Antonio Conte, Massimo Allegri has won two Serie A titles, two Coppa Italia’s and guided Juventus to a Champions League final back in 2015. Many expected the former AC Milan manager to struggle after taking over from Conte, but the fact has been that Allegri has both sustained and accelerated improvements at Italy’s biggest club.
Massimo Allegri – Cagliari v Juventus – Italian Serie A
Will Arsenal fans feel disappointed? Perhaps. But Massimo Allegri’s record at other clubs might give them food for thought. At AC Milan, Allegri took over a side in a similar position to the Arsenal fans might be looking at this summer.
After losing plenty of their better players, Allegri began a rebuild of the former Champions League giant, but after poor recruitment, which saw the club splash the cash on the likes of Mario Balotelli and Keisuke Honda, Milan slipped their way down Serie A, and are still recovering from that poor period today.
Perhaps Arsenal fans will feel relieved that the club are not going to be able to take the gamble which hiring Allegri would have been.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger
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