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    Juventus Confirm Massimiliano Allegri Will Step Down as Manager

    Christopher Simpson@@CJSimpsonBRFeatured ColumnistMay 17, 2019

    MILAN, ITALY - APRIL 27: Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri looks on during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Juventus at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on April 27, 2019 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images)
    Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images

    Massimiliano Allegri is set to leave as manager of Juventus, the club have confirmed. 

    The Bianconeri made the announcement in a brief statement on Friday, with a press conference to come on Saturday with Allegri and president Andrea Agnelli in attendance.

    The Italian had one year remaining on his contract in Turin.

    Juve have two matches left to play in Serie A this season, Atalanta on Sunday in their final home game and a trip to Sampdoria on May 26.

    The Old Lady have already won the Scudetto for the eighth campaign running, five of which were delivered by Allegri.

    He has enjoyed a great deal of success as Juventus manager:

    B/R Football @brfootball

    BREAKING: Juventus confirm manager Max Allegri will leave the club this summer after winning 11 trophies in five years https://t.co/WPAw8dBe8V

    Impressively, he kept them consistently successful despite losing an important player almost every season, including Andrea Pirlo, Paul Pogba, Arturo Vidal and Gianluigi Buffon, among others.

    Juventus Confirm Massimiliano Allegri Will Step Down as Manager
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    Allegri also guided the team to the UEFA Champions League final in 2015 and 2017, where they lost to Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively.

    Despite the addition of Cristiano Ronaldo last summer, Juve failed to kick on in Europe and were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Ajax, having lost 2-1 at home in the second leg after picking up a 1-1 draw in Amsterdam.

    Italian football expert David Amoyal and ESPN's Janusz Michallik both felt it was the right time for the club and coach to go their separate ways:

    David Amoyal @DavidAmoyal

    I consider Allegri to be one of the best managers in the game but it was the right time for both him and especially Juventus to part ways

    Janusz Michallik @JanuszMichallik

    Feels like the right move by Juve. It was time. Allegri did a very good job. Many teams out there could use his steady hand.

    Per Corriere dello Sport (h/t Goal's Stephen Creek), Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino has been linked with Juventus this summer.

    As football writer Daniel Storey noted, Tottenham fans won't appreciate Juve's announcement:

    Daniel Storey @danielstorey85

    Massimo Allegri leaving Juventus would make me very nervous if I was a Tottenham supporter. Daniel Levy needs to be whispering sweet transfer target nothings now.

    By announcing the decision when they have, Juventus will be able to give Allegri the send-off he deserves at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday and they have time to prepare for next season.

    Given his CV—which also includes a Scudetto with AC Milan in 2010-11—it's unlikely he'll be without work at the top level of European football for long.

    Calciomercato.com reported Paris Saint-Germain are monitoring his situation closely after they suffered a Champions League collapse under Thomas Tuchel, letting slip a 2-0 lead over Manchester United in the round of 16 with a 3-1 defeat at the Parc des Princes.

    Whomever replaces him in Turin, be it Pochettino or another candidate, will have an enormous job on their hands to replicate his success.