sport news Why Antonio Conte would be mad to leave Tottenham for Juventus trends now

In many eras, a choice of whether to go to Juventus or Tottenham Hotspur was never really much of a debate.

Juve may be the team everyone loves to hate in Italy, but their global prominence in the game is up their with the finest and there is an almost uncountable list of world renowned legends that have either played or managed the giants from Turin - Zinedine Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo and Michel Platini to name just three across different eras.

Juventus have 36 league titles, and two Champions League successes to fall back on too - just in case you need silverware to back up their pedigree. 

Tottenham of course are a big club too in their own right but two league titles a couple of UEFA Cups and a European Cup-winners' Cup is the best of their rather dusty trophy cabinet - we are not comparing like for like here. Deciding where to go and further your career as a professional should be a fairly simple choice.

For Antonio Conte it could be argued it's even easier. A proud Italian being offered a potential return to the Allianz Stadium where he has won Serie A eight times as a player and a manger as well as the Champions League during his days in their midfield should hardly require a moment's thought to weigh up his options.

Conte has recently been linked with a return to Juventus who he left in 2014 after winning Serie A three years running to take charge of the Italian national team. He has less than a year to run on his current Spurs deal, so his ties to the north London side are thin.

But despite all of this, Conte would have to be mad to leave the project he has going at Spurs to move back to the Old Lady - who appear to be unravelling into a storm of chaos.

Juventus have been stumbling in recent seasons, and in Max Allegri, another previous Turin favourite who has returned last year after two years away to try and revive their fortunes, they have stuttered out of the blocks in Serie A. 

With seven games gone in Serie A they have won just twice and lie in eighth - catastrophic for Juve - and already seven points off early pace setters Napoli and Atalanta. In the Champions League they have lost both of their opening games.

Of course it's still early in the season but alarm bells were ringing at the weekend when they were beaten 1-0 by Monza who are playing in the Italian top flight for the first time in their history.

While there has been no suggestion Max Allegri is about to become an early season managerial casualty in Turin, reports in Italy suggest Conte is 'open' to a Juventus return.

Conte has been back in Turin, in the city where his wife and daughter chose to live, relaxing at his home in Liguria before diving back into his Tottenham commitments.

Indeed, part of a lure of returning to his homeland would be to spend more time with his family.  Being able to spend more time with his family would be a strong pull for the Spurs boss to return home - even if he enjoys his London residence.

Conte has previously said he has 'unfinished business' at the club and is the No 1 pick for the club's board, which consists of former team-mate Pavel Nedved.

Nedved is a great admirer of Conte and has tried to bring him back to Turin. Conte remains popular with the Juve board, but he would have to repair relations with Andrea Agnelli following a controversial incident where he raised his middle finger to the club president last year.

Conte made the offensive gesture during a Coppa Italia clash while he was in charge of Juve's rivals Inter Milan, but escaped punishment following a post-match investigation. 

Italian outlet RAI reported that Conte directed a middle finger gesture at Agnelli at half-time and then following the full-time whistle, the ecstatic Juve chief raced from his seat down towards the Inter bench, and was heard shouting: 'f*** off, shut up you a***hole'.