Conte eyeing off Premier League return, fuelling speculation of United move

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/conte-antonio/23vSAc12/"]Conte[/a] is currently without a managerial job after leaving [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/napoli/69Dxbc61/"]Napoli[/a] at the end of the 2025/26 season, a year in which they were unable to follow up their Supercoppa Italiana glory with anything better than a second-placed finish behind runaway winners [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/inter/Iw7eKK25/"]Inter Milan[/a].[/p][p]The 57-year-old told New York Times publication [a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7655219/2026/10/05/antonio-conte-exclusive-interview/" target="_blank"]The Athletic[/a] of his ambitions to return to the Premier League a decade after steering [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/chelsea/4fGZN2oK/"]Chelsea[/a] to league glory in 2016/17, which remains their most recent Premier League title. [/p][p]Conte, who spoke glowingly of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/arsenal/hA1Zm19f/"]Arsenal[/a]'s [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/arteta-mikel/lAbHYaQM/"]Mikel Arteta[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/psg/CjhkPw0k/"]PSG[/a]'s Luis Enrique in particular, says he's drawn in particular to a return to England because of the enormous spending power of even the league's midtable clubs, saying that Premier League sides are "[b]using bazookas, while everywhere else they’re still using a pistol[/b]". [/p][infobox id="02b45e73-9abc-454d-882a-650a1a621f7d" /][p]The uncontracted five-time Serie A winner with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/juventus/C06aJvIB/"]Juventus,[/a] Internazionale and Napoli had [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/news/soccer-premier-league-why-man-utd-need-to-think-carefully-before-replacing-michael-carrick-with-antonio-conte/UFxyRHZG/"]already been linked to the Manchester United job[/a] after [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/carrick-michael/phM8NElP/"]Carrick[/a]'s poor start to 2026/27, during which they exited the EFL Cup at the hands of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/brighton/2XrRecc3/"]Brighton[/a] and won just one of their first five Premier League matches, opening up an expansive ten-point deficit to unbeaten league leaders [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/manchester-city/Wtn9Stg0/"]Manchester City[/a]. [/p][p]Conte boasts an impressive win rate of more than 60% in charge of English clubs Chelsea and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tottenham/UDg08Ohm/"]Tottenham[/a], winning two trophies with the Blues and leaving the latter by mutual consent when they were fourth on the Premier League standings in 2022/23. [/p][p]Whilst Conte has historically been hesitant to take mid-season roles, his 500-day stint at Tottenham began in early November of 2021 after Nuno Espirito Santo was sacked 17 games into his contract. [/p][p]Despite clarifying he's not in an urgent rush to return to the office, Conte did everything but quash the speculation he's after Carrick's job when saying he'd like to rescue a struggling team "[b]that have somewhat lost sight of their history[/b]".[/p][embed guid="ee385c84-b817-47a7-abf8-0052b42346ff" url="https://x.com/Scott3040/status/2107173699681980817" social-type="twitter" /][p]"[b]I’d like to go to one of these clubs to dust off that history and make it shine once more[/b]," Conte added.[/p][p]“Clubs where there’s pressure, where, ultimately, you know full well that you’re not going there just to take part, but to compete.”[/p][p]“[b]If you go to a club where the history speaks for itself — a history made up of trophies, league titles and victories — you can only honour that history in one way: by having the ambition to bring that club back — if it isn’t there today — to fight for those goals. [/b][/p][p]"I know full well that only one team can win every year, but I must carry in my heart — and instil in the hearts of the fans, my players and my directors — that spark, that hope that makes you say: ‘f***, we can win’.[/p][p]Connecting the dots would suggest that [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/manchester-united/ppjDR086/"]Manchester United[/a], the 20-time league winners who have not lifted the Premier League trophy since 2012/13 and the FA Cup only twice since then, would fit the bill of the club Conte is talking about. [/p][infobox id="d39bc573-b9dd-4b87-acb9-2de1f22d36c7" /]