Former Chelsea manager, Antonio Conte, has distanced himself from Arsenal after his agent denied he had a pre-contrcat with the north London club.
Conte who led Inter Milan to their first Serie A win in over a decade, last season, has been heavily linked with the Gunners as a replacement for under fire boss Mikel Arteta.
Having lost his first three opening matches of the season, conceeding nine goals without scoring one, Arteta has been given until the end of September to better his results or be sacked.
In comes Conte who was on the verge of joining Arsenal’s London rival, Tottenham, before Spurs settled for ex-Wolves manager, Nuno Espirito Santo.
Spanish outlet, Fichajes, reported that Arsenal have ‘contacted’ Conte and the report claims a ‘preliminary agreement’ is in place between the two parties.
However, the rumour was dispelled by Conte’s agent, Federico Pastorello, who was quoted by respected Italian journalist, Fabrizio Romano, as saying that the report was false.
“There’s absolutely NO pre agreement between Antonio Conte and Arsenal. Conte has no verbal/pre agreement with any club and he’s free.
“Federico Pastorello – agent close to Conte since years – confirms to @Freddie_Paxton: “Rumours about Arsenal pre-deal are not true,” Romano tweeted.
However, Conte discussed his next move with Gazzetta dello Sport as he revealed the reason for snubbing Spurs.
The Italian could still end up at Arsenal as he fancies a move abroad, noting that he prefers difficult situations, which perfectly suits the club’s current state.
“I look for the projects instead and I am ready to stay at home if something is not convincing me.
“It has to do with vision, honesty and principles. Generally, I like challenges and I’ve accepted many of them during my career.
“Even the top clubs I coached were never the favourites when I arrived.
“However, if there’s something that doesn’t convince me I prefer not to accept, regardless of the money.”
“I would like to have more experiences abroad.
“I think that I am not someone who is happy with just a comfortable situation. I always chose the most difficult situation instead.
“As a player, I won everything it was possible to win, but I also lost a great deal.
“When you lose, it leaves within you the desire not to experience that again, so you do everything to transmit that to your players when you are a head coach.
“It all comes from your scars and wanting to avoid getting more.”
