FIGC close in on Italy national team managerial appointment

With the new FIGC president finally (and sadly) elected, the focus of the governing body of Italian football has now shifted to another empty seat: that of the manager of the national side.

Mere moments after Italy were eliminated from the World Cup by Uruguay after two straight horrific performances in the group stage, Cesare Prandelli resigned the position he'd held since after the last World Cup, leaving a gaping whole atop the national team setup. Many names were thrown around in the weeks after Prandelli quit his post, but after a surprise bit of news last month, all the focus has been on one man.

Virtually the moment Antonio Conte resigned as manager of Juventus last month, speculation began that he had his eye on the empty manager's seat for Italy. Amid all the various rumors, conjecture, and stories surrounding his departure from Juve, one specific bit of information held consistent through it all: if Conte were offered the top Italian job, he'd have a very hard time turning it down.

Now, according to reports from across Italy, Conte has indeed been offered the job, and his representatives are hashing out the details with the FIGC right now. It's expected that an official announcement could come at any time in the next few days that Conte has been installed as Italy's manager for the foreseeable future.

It will obviously be a popular appointment; Conte is fresh off leading Juventus back to the peak of Italian football, winning the Serie A crown three straight times. Juve played dominating football that few in Italy could hold up to, and while his style struggled at times against other European clubs in the Champions League, it's a style that should translate well to the international stage, especially with the players currently in or near the Italian senior side.