Massimiliano Allegri has agreed to continue as Juventus manager and has outlined his plans for the future of the club after meeting with the board.
The 50-year-old had been linked with the vacant managerial position at Arsenal, but indicated last week that he would rather stay in Turin. Discussions with Juventus CEO Beppe Marotta proved fruitful, ensuring that Allegri will continue as the head coach of the Bianconeri.
Since taking over Juve, Allegri has won four Serie A titles, four Coppa Italia trophies and the Supercoppa Italiana. He also took the Bianconeri to the Champions League final in 2015 and 2017.
Allegri is contracted to Juventus until 2020 and set out his future plans on Monday in a meeting which also included Aldo Mazza, Pavel Nedved and Fabio Paratici, as well as Marotta.
The coach outlined his short- and long-term aims for the club, including continued success in Serie A as well as mounting a proper challenge on the Champions League. Juventus have not won Europe’s greatest club competition since 1996, leaving the board frustrated despite going close twice under Allegri.
As a result, the board will back Allegri in the transfer market, with the signing of Germany midfielder Emre Can the first step in their campaign to become proper European contenders.
Can is set to sign a five-year contract at Juventus Stadium in order to move to Italy when his current deal with Liverpool expires at the end of June. The transfer is set to be announced after the Champions League final, which will be the Reds’ last game of the 2017-18 season.
Both Allegri and Marotta indicated their desire for continued partnership before their Monday meeting, with Marotta telling reporters “The conditions point to an extension of the relationship. We will listen to his wishes, but in my opinion we will continue quietly.”
Allegri claimed he wanted to put forward his vision for the future, which included securing players of the right mentality to help Juventus compete on all fronts.
“It’s a question of seeing and talking, of being very honest in evaluating some things,” Allegri said.
“We must try to make mistakes as little as possible in our choices, we must leave for another season in which the objectives are the same. We need people who want to work and who are equipped with the right incentives. And above all, we have to evaluate where we can improve the squad.”
With Allegri now staying on at Juventus, the next step for the club will be signing new players to help him achieve his aims while also ensuring they can keep hold of some of their stars.
