"In the Premier League they use bazookas, while elsewhere they still use pistols." That was the sharpest line from Antonio Conte in an extensive interview to The Athletic, and it came alongside a clearer message about his next job. He said he could return to work in the middle of the current season if it is worth it, and he wants a club with trophies, titles and victories that has lost its way and needs restoring.

Conte's idea of the right job

Conte did not sound interested in an easy return. He talked about clubs where pressure is part of the deal and where the target is to compete, not simply arrive and settle in. His language was plain enough, he wants a rescue job with weight behind it.

That lines up with the way he spoke about the scale of spending across Europe. The Premier League, in his view, operates with a level of financial force that other leagues cannot match. He added that the money still has to be spent well, which is a fair warning against reading the line as a simple rich-versus-poor contrast.

Spurs, standards and the Chelsea benchmark

Conte also looked back at Tottenham, where he said his maximum demands accelerated his departure in 2023. He recalled a message exchange with Daniel Levy after a draw and said he was angry at hearing Tottenham called losers. The point runs through his career: he does not separate standards from results.

He returned to that theme with Chelsea, where he won the Premier League in 2016/17. The title remains the cleanest proof of what he expects from a top job, especially after the frustration he described at Tottenham. Conte also linked his mentality to Italy’s two lost finals at the 1994 World Cup and Euro 2000, plus three decisive Champions League duels lost with Juventus in 1996/97, 1997/98 and 2002/03.

Elsewhere, the clubs he could have been talking about as pressure jobs are not hard to spot. Napoli, Marseille and Sporting CP were all referenced in the wider discussion around his comments, but Conte’s own point was broader than any one destination.

He is not back yet, and he did not name a club as his next stop. What he did make clear is that the next move he wants is a difficult one, and that he is open to taking it before the season ends if the project is strong enough.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →