Massimiliano Allegri would turn down Arsenal should Barcelona offer him Luis Enrique’s job, according to reports
According to Mundo Deportivo, the Juventus manager would join Barcelona “without hesitation” despite being touted as one of the favourites to replace Arsene Wenger at the end of the season should the Frenchman finally call time on his Arsenal reign.
They also claim that Allegri has already informed Juventus’ general manager, Beppe Marotta, that he wants to leave Turin at the end of the season, despite the latter’s efforts to convince him to extend his stay with the Bianconeri.
They state that Allegri has also informed Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu of his “predisposition” to sign for Barcelona if the club made it clear they were interested in him. But, that he has not closed the door on a potential move to Arsenal.
However, Mundo Deportivo state that Barcelona’s preference is to hire someone who has been a part of Barcelona’s setup as a player in the past but Allegri’s ties with Ariedo Braida – the current international adviser to Barcelona – might help his cause.
Allegri’s reputation and achievements have been steadily growing in stature ever since he took over at AC Milan. The Italian did a fine job of leading Milan to their first Scudetto since 2004 in the 2010-11 season.
In the 2012-13 season, several of Milan’s veteran players either retired or left the club and this left Allegri with a massive task on his hands. The Italian manager still managed to get the best out of his young, depleted squad, guiding them to a third-placed finish.
After taking over at Juventus in 2014, Allegri has lead the side to back-to-back league titles and Coppa Italia victories and also managed to make the finals of the UEFA Champions League in 2015, losing to Barcelona in the final.
Amid all the uncertainty surrounding Arsene Wenger’s future, Allegri has emerged as one of the frontrunners to replace the legendary Frenchman. Wenger’s time at Arsenal seems to be almost certainly coming to a close at the end of the season and last night’s humiliation to Bayern Munich has only increased the outrage among the Gooners.
Allegri’s ability to get the most out of a side that is not what it once used to be will definitely be something that attracts the Gunners to him, as well as the fact that he has proven in the past that he can get the most out of younger players.
However, should Barcelona decide that Allegri is the man to take over from Luis Enrique, it appears Arsenal will have no choice but to turn their attentions elsewhere if Mundo Deportivo’s claims are to be believed.
