deshamps will sign
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Deschamps holds Juve talks Saturday 17 June, 2006
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Today’s newspapers report that Didier Deschamps flew in to Turin for negotiations with the new Board of Directors to replace Fabio Capello.
It’s claimed that the former Bianconeri midfielder met with director of sport Alessio Secco and CEO Carlo Sant’Albano on Friday, in which he confirmed he was willing to take charge of the team, even if that meant starting from Serie B.
Juve have been in turmoil ever since the Calciopoli investigation began in May, with allegations of match-fixing, corruption, collusion with referees and sporting fraud levelled at former director general Luciano Moggi.
If found guilty, the club could be docked points or even demoted to Serie B. It has already been made clear by Sant’Albano and patron John Elkann this week that Capello would not stay in Turin if it meant dropping down to the Second Division.
The search for a successor, perhaps even without the demotion seeing as he has been heavily linked with Real Madrid, included names such as Alberto Zaccheroni, Walter Novellino and Cesare Prandelli.
Today’s newspapers insist Deschamps has been chosen for the role. The man who took Monaco to the Champions League Final in 2004 was already very close to taking the Juve bench two years ago, but was more surprised than anyone to see Capello picked instead. Above all, Deschamps has a strong history with Juventus, having played there for five years and been part of the Champions League winning squad of 1996.
The 'Gazzetta dello Sport’ claims that the crucial intervention of Juve legend Michel Platini proved decisive, as he convinced Elkann to opt for his fellow countryman. The newspaper even suggests that 37-year-old Deschamps turned down the chance to manage France so that he could accept the Bianconeri bench.
Capello will most likely reveal his future after the Real Madrid Presidential elections on July 2, as victory for candidate Ramon Calderon would almost certainly see him return to Spain.