Antonio Conte maintains he was ‘not contacted’ for the Italy job, and advises Inter to go all-in for Tottenham’s Cristian Romero. ‘He’s the best defender by a mile at the World Cup.’
The former Napoli coach is a free agent after negotiating a termination by mutual consent with the club, a year on from winning the Scudetto.
He has been heavily linked with a return to the Azzurri bench, where he already sat from 2014 to 2016, along with Roberto Mancini and Andrea Pirlo.
Conte on Italy, Romero and World Cup campaign
“I was already the Italy coach and it was a wonderful experience,” Conte told DAZN Italia.
“I think that people with strong values have been put in charge. We all know Marco Malagò is a strong figure, while Paolo Maldini could not remain out of football. He was in my view the best ever Italian defender, but also did very well as a director at Milan.
“What I must say is that the most important thing is that there is a shared vision, that it is embraced without ifs or buts. That is the prerogative to build something important.”
The big question is has the FIGC and its new leaders contacted Conte to ask for his availability for Italy?
“No,” was his reply.
Conte was in the DAZN Italia studio as a pundit ahead of tonight’s 2026 World Cup Final between Spain and Argentina.
As a former Tottenham Hotspur coach, he had some advice amid reports Inter are eager to snap up Cuti Romero from Spurs.
“His performance in this World Cup has been rather under-estimated. He is having an extraordinary tournament, the best defender by a mile compared to all the others.
“He has improved so much. I read that some Italian teams want him, but I don’t know if Tottenham want to sell… He is a tough player, and Argentine’s still play street football, which is a positive thing that we are missing in Italy,” said Conte.
“Every match is it’s either you or me, so irritating your opponent is part of the game.”
