Revealed: Spalletti came very close to being appointed Juventus coach
- Jordan Russell (@JordRuss96)
The Bianconeri first approached Spalletti back in the summer of 2014 in the hectic aftermath of Antonio Conte’s departure from the Turin giants. He was the Scudetto holders’ first choice, having spent five seasons in Russia with Zenit. Roberto Mancini was second choice for Andrea Agnelli’s club, but neither option came to fruition and so former AC Milan boss Allegri was duly appointed. The rest, as they say, is history. The Livorno tactician has won three Scudetti, three Italian cups and has led his side to two Champions League finals.
It has not all been plain sailing for Allegri at Juve however, as he and the club were close to agreeing a mutual parting of the ways last summer. Had this happened, indeed Beppe Marotta was ready to entice Spalletti to Vinovo. However, shortly after the devastating loss to Real Madrid in Cardiff, Allegri signed a new contract with La Vecchia Signora until 2020. Just 48 hours later, Spalletti was spotted in La Pinetina having ratified an agreement with Inter during a trip to Nanjing where he met with ownership group Suning. How different things could have been…