Allegri talks up Juventus relationship amid Arsenal links

Dom Farrell

Allegri talks up Juventus relationship amid Arsenal links image

Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri has refused to be drawn on his future amid mounting speculation he is Arsenal's first choice to succeed Arsene Wenger.

Allegri's odds have come in with the bookmakers over recent days, placing him as favourite ahead of ex-Barcelona boss Luis Enrique, with Goal revealing that he is a leading contender for the role alongside Mikel Arteta.

Juve, though, are on the verge of sealing a seventh consecutive Serie A title and face AC Milan in the final of the Coppa Italia on Wednesday.

Speaking ahead of the game, Allegri – who is contracted in Turin until 2020 – reiterated his satisfaction with his role and the Juventus board.

"I have a great relationship with the club and we are in sync, as has been demonstrated over the last four years," he told reporters.

"The team was turned inside out during the first season and the club worked so well to bring in players of quality, who had not just amazing technical skill sets but great human values.

"At the end of the day, in football you need more than technique to win. You need other values that can push you on during difficult times.

"I have a very good relationship with the management. As we do every year, we will sit down and discuss the future at the end of the season."

Allegri confirmed he would start the final with a back four, stating "two out of [Andrea] Barzagli, [Medhi] Benatia and [Daniele] Rugani will start at centre-back."

Mario Mandzukic, Mattia De Sciglio and Stefano Sturaro are all back in contention at the Stadio Olimpico as Juventus chase a fourth consecutive domestic double under Allegri.

"Winning the Coppa would be another great page in the story of Juventus," he added.

"We must play with great enthusiasm, coming from tough matches against Inter and Bologna, because games against Milan are always tightly balanced in a final, even more so.

"We will face a team that can give us trouble from set pieces with very technical players, so we will have to be very focused and balanced.

"I expect the boys to give the fans, the club and me another great evening."

Dom Farrell

Dom Farrell Photo

Dom is the senior content producer for Sporting News UK. He previously worked as fan brands editor for Manchester City at Reach Plc. Prior to that, he built more than a decade of experience in the sports journalism industry, primarily for the Stats Perform and Press Association news agencies. Dom has covered major football events on location, including the entirety of Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup in Paris and St Petersburg respectively, along with numerous high-profile Premier League, Champions League and England international matches. Cricket and boxing are his other major sporting passions and he has covered the likes of Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Wladimir Klitschko, Gennadiy Golovkin and Vasyl Lomachenko live from ringside.