Juventus are in crisis, having won just two of their opening seven games in Serie A so far this season, putting them seven points adrift of leaders Napoli.
Manager Massimiliano Allegri is coming under increasing pressure having only been able to deliver a fourth-place finish last campaign. One of the apparent leading candidates to replace the Italian is Antonio Conte, currently impressing at Tottenham.
Conte rose to prominence during his first spell in Turin, winning three successive Serie A titles before he left in 2014. According to reports in Italy, he would 'gladly return' to Allianz Stadium, with relations between himself and Juve chiefs having thawed.
Allegri remains in his post, though it appears the pressure is increasing, especially in the wake of a run of a four-game winless run. Though he has insisted he is not feeling that pressure yet, Juve bosses could act soon.
"It's difficult to explain. In this moment, it's useless to talk. We have to keep quiet and work. I do not feel at risk at all. We need to work hard and change the situation - also, we have many important players injured. I already told the team these moments happen in football, we need to emerge from them as a team, with a sense of responsibility," he said.
According to the Daily Mail, director Pavel Nedved is a supporter of the plan to bring Conte back to Turin. He is seen as the only man who can bring the Italian giants 'back to life' with an 'earthquake' needed to restore them to their former glory.
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It is felt that Allegri 'cannot manage' the team, with Conte's record of delivering trophies attractive to the Old Lady. But a return will be far from simple for the now Spurs boss, given the way his first spell ended.
Conte frequently clashed with club chiefs, including president Andrea Agnelli, over a perceived lack of backing in the transfer market. His comments ramped up over 2014, the final year he spent in Turin.
"You can't sit in the €100 restaurant if you only have €10 in your pocket. In Europe, there are economically unattainable teams, it will be very difficult for me to see an Italian team in the Champions League final for many years to come," Conte said.
Those comments enraged Agnelli, who was left more hurt when Conte surprisingly resigned two months later. A video was released the following day in which Conte explained his decision to leave, though it still left the Juve president upset.
The club made it clear that the decision for Conte to depart was solely the Italian's, with Allegri quickly coming in as his successor. The spat between Conte and Agnelli flared up again when Conte decided to join Juve's bitter rivals Inter Milan.
During a Coppa Italia game between Inter and Juve, Conte could be seen pointing his middle finger at his former boss. Agnelli then stormed down the stairs of the grandstand to tell Conte to 'f*** off'.
While it appears that Agnelli may be ready to bury the hatchet with Conte, there is a further complication. His current contract at Spurs does not expire until the end of next season and Spurs chairman Daniel Levy will not make it easy for Juve to pull him out of it.
Levy is understood to be a huge fan of Conte, who he believes can finally deliver a major trophy to the club. He has heavily backed the manager in the transfer market, paying out for Richarlison, Yves Bissouma, Djed Spence and Ivan Perisic.
Levy also brought in Fabio Paratici, Conte's long-time partner at Juventus, as sporting director. Conte recently expressed his happiness at Tottenham, potentially putting paid to any suggestion he is looking to leave.
“I think every success is born from this connection. You need to have a big connection with the owner, with the sporting director. If there is great understanding, then you can work well,” he told Sky Sports.
Having been heavily backed by Levy and with Paratici also delivering, there appears little reason for Conte to leave. In addition, Spurs are flying in the Premier League, with Conte's side yet to be defeated so far this term.
They look well-placed to challenge for the title, sitting just a point off leaders Arsenal. The Gunners will be their first opponents after the international break and those with a connection to Spurs can be confident that Conte is the man to finally deliver a trophy.
While things are going well at Spurs, in Turin Juventus appear to be in a mess. The defeat to Monza has provoked widespread anger among supporters, with assistant boss Marco Landucci blasting the players.
"When you lose, the fans will complain: we have to shut up, listen and work. It's normal that there are complaints, Juve must do better. It would have been better to play another game immediately but you have to wait for (after the international) break. You have to give a strong signal and definitely do better," he said.
“Perhaps the defeat to Benfica was more of a psychological blow than we realised, but again these are excuses and excuses are of no help. Obviously, nobody is happy right now, but in order to emerge from this situation we can only work hard and do better.
“We seem to start well and then stop playing, so the only method is to work and everyone raise their game to work in the same direction. Allegri is suspended and not allowed into the locker room, so I haven’t seen him yet.”
If they do decide to pursue Conte to restore themselves to their former glory, plenty of challenges lie ahead. Though the Italian may be keen to return, it will likely be a dragged-out process to prise him away from Spurs.
