Ever since Chelsea got their hands on the Premier League title at the end of the 2016/17 season, there has been talk about Antonio Conte losing his job as Blues manager. Despite their FA Cup triumph last week, a fifth-place finish in the league is expected to be enough for the board to sack the Italian.
However, with 12 months still left on his contract, Conte has admitted he won’t resign and will wait for the club to force him out. This would mean that his £9 million contract will have to be paid out over the course of the year, especially if he is replaced within that time period.
Because of this information, the former Juventus boss isn’t looking to rush into another job any time soon. This isn’t helped by the fact that most high-profile European teams have secure managerial status. There was talk that he would be appointed as manager of the Italian national team after their failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup but Roberto Mancini has already filled that void, leaving Zenit in the process.
With Maurizio Sarri heavily linked to replace Conte, that would free up the position at Napoli but with the current Blues boss’ allegiances to Juventus, it would be farfetched to expect him to take over in Naples. It does look as though a continuation at Stamford Bridge is beyond realistic for the 48-year-old with relationships, with certain players strained, to say the least.
This was highlighted after the FA Cup final victory on Saturday as Willian chose to cover his manager in emojis in the photo he uploaded to Instagram. A large percentage of Blues fans seem to still hold respect for Conte but agree with many others that his time might be up in West London, a great shame after such a dominant first season.
