Conte open to Premier League return as former Chelsea boss targets trophy challenge

Antonio Conte has left the door open to a return to the Premier League, saying he would consider taking charge of a club during the season if the right opportunity emerged.

The 57-year-old has been out of work since leaving Napoli at the end of the 2025/26 campaign. England remains an attractive destination for the Italian, who led Chelsea to the Premier League title in 2016/17 – their most recent league championship.

Conte said the financial power of English football was a major appeal. He believes clubs in the middle of the Premier League table have resources that are difficult to match elsewhere in Europe.

“Premier League teams are using bazookas, while everywhere else they’re still using a pistol,” Conte told The Athletic.

His praise for England comes alongside positive comments about Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique, and has increased speculation that he could return to the Premier League.

Conte has generally preferred to begin a new project rather than take over halfway through a campaign. However, he said he would not rule out a mid-season appointment.

He has already taken that route in the past, joining Tottenham in November 2021 after Nuno Espirito Santo was dismissed. Conte stayed at the club for around 500 days before leaving by mutual consent in 2023, with Tottenham fourth in the Premier League at the time.

The former Juventus and Napoli manager also outlined the kind of club that could persuade him to resume his career.

“I’d like to go to one of these clubs to dust off that history and make it shine once more,” he said.

“Clubs where there’s pressure, where, ultimately, you know full well that you’re not going there just to take part, but to compete.”

‘The ambition to bring that club back’

Conte said he wanted to work somewhere that had high expectations and judged success through trophies.

“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.”

Those comments have prompted questions about Manchester United, who made a difficult start to the 2026/27 season under Michael Carrick.

United were eliminated from the EFL Cup by Brighton and won only one of their first five Premier League matches. They were 10 points behind unbeaten leaders Manchester City.

Conte has previously been linked with the Old Trafford position, and his latest remarks have intensified that speculation.

He has won Serie A four times and recorded a win rate of more than 60 per cent across his spells with Chelsea and Tottenham. Conte won two trophies at Chelsea.

While he says he is not desperate to return to management, his ambition remains firm.

“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’.”