With reports of Maurizio Sarri’s imminent arrival in London to become Chelsea’s new manager circulating – how will the outgoing Conte be remembered?
Current Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has endured a difficult second season with the blues, culminating in a 5th placed finish in the Premier League which ensured Chelsea will not be playing Champions League football next season.
Speculation over the Italians future has been rife all season, amid rumoured unrest among the squad, which led to disappointing results and regular uninspired performances.
Napoli’s Maurizio Sarri has been touted as the man to replace Conte in the hot seat at the club, as Chelsea officials have already completed negotiations to end his contract with Napoli, according to The Daily Express.
Conte has one year left on his contract at Stamford Bridge but it now seems likely he will receive a hefty chunk of compensation to leave early with thanks for services rendered.
Should the 48-year-old indeed end up leaving the club, judging how successful he has been during his stint in England could prove a divisive topic of conversation amongst fans and experts.
It’s not all been sunshine and rainbows
Despite winning the Premier League title in his debut year and an FA Cup victory last season, the former Juventus and Italy boss has not always enjoyed the full confidence of those involved with Chelsea Football Club.
After leading them to the league title his stock was higher than ever and he could do no wrong in the eyes of supporters, receiving widespread praise for his passionate management style and tactical nouse throughout the year.
But unfortunately, football can be a very fickle sport and from the opening day defeat at home to Burnley at the start of last season, everything seemed to change for Conte.
Suddenly he was being criticised for failing to strengthen the team and offloading key men from the title-winning season.
Busy transfer windows
Alvaro Morata, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Danny Drinkwater, Antonio Rudiger and Davide Zappacosta all came in but he sold Nemanja Matic to Manchester United and froze out star striker Diego Costa – before selling him back to Atletico Madrid in January.
Matic and Costa were arguably Chelsea’s most vital players during their run to winning the Premier League and their replacements failed to hit the ground running as the team struggled to keep pace with Manchester City.
Conte hinted at his displeasure over the clubs transfer dealings several times over the course of the season and insisted in April that he wasn’t solely to blame for their dismal title defence.
“It’s difficult now to explain the reasons why we’re struggling in this way this season,” said Conte, as reported by The Telegraph.
"“For sure, for sure, we made a lot of mistakes this season. When I talk about a lot of mistakes, I involve me, my staff, the players and the club. For sure, we must reflect at the end of the season and understand where the mistakes were.”“I’m the coach, I’m the coach of this team. I’m the first person to take my responsibility. But, for sure, I’m not alone. Now is not the right moment.” – Antonio Conte"
Additionally, the Blues boss has had a fractured relationship with star player Eden Hazard, who has publicly expressed his disappointment with Conte for being played out of position and tactical decisions made over the course of the year.
The Belgian play-maker has seemingly even issued the club with an ultimatum, stating something has to change for him to stay. The Telegraph states he spoke to reporters at the start of the month:
"“If we have something new – manager or players – it is always good to know it because I want players that can [help bring success back to] Chelsea next season.” – Eden Hazard"
Despite the alleged civil unrest and Conte’s frustrated demeanour last season, it is still unlikely he will be remembered in anything less than a positive light if he leaves the Bridge this summer.
Chelsea managers have a notoriously short shelf life, with 10 different men leading the team in the last 12 years. 2 years is the maximum expected tenure and if their latest boss does end up leaving this summer, it should come as a surprise to no one.
Antonio Conte was never going to be the next Alex Ferguson or Arsene Wenger. He was brought in to turn Chelsea into winners again, which is exactly what he has done.
Fast improvement on Jose Mourinho
When he took over 2 years ago, the Blues had just finished 10th in the league following a catastrophic first half of the season with Jose Mourinho.
Conte came in and quickly lifted the mood, employing his now infamous 3-5-2 to great effect and blowing away the competition to instantly regain the Premier League for the club.
He could do no wrong and was lauded for playing the kind of entertaining, attacking football that Roman Abramovich had always craved.
Perhaps wrong moves were made in the transfer window that followed their league success and perhaps the Italian let his frustration get the better of him, which has undoubtedly been a factor in Chelsea’s failures over the past year.
But even so, another major trophy was secured in May with their 1-0 FA cup final victory over Manchester United at Wembley, further proving that Conte will never be less than a serial winner.
Should he move on to pastures new in the near future, he will rightly be remembered for bringing his unique charisma and refreshing footballing philosophy to the English game and Chelsea fans will always be grateful for the 2 huge Trophies he added to their cabinet.
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