ANTONIO CONTE is set to leave Chelsea in the next 48 hours – with former Barcelona coach Luis Enrique being lined up to replace him.
ANTONIO CONTE is set to leave Chelsea in the next 48 hours – with former Barcelona coach Luis Enrique being lined up to replace him.
And Conte aimed a parting shot at Chelsea as he insisted – you never matched my ambition.
The Italian lifted the FA Cup on Saturday as his team beat Manchester United at Wembley thanks to Eden Hazard’s penalty.
But Conte’s season long running battle with the club over transfers is set to finally come to a head, with Chelsea set to pay up the £9million he will be owed for the final year of his contract.
Along with Enrique, Monaco chief Leonardo Jardim and Napoli supremo Maurizio Sarri are also on Chelsea’s wanted list.
Conte has won the Premier League and the FA Cup in two seasons at Chelsea but his departure has long been expected and he said: “Sometimes you do not always have the same ambition.
“Last season after we won the League, I and the club spoke, we tried to find the right way to try to defend our title. I decided to stay and work hard.
“When you decide to take on a coach like me, you must know who you are taking on, who you are charging for this job. I cannot change my personality, my idea of football. I am a serial winner.
“The way we played on Saturday was the only way to lift a trophy the way we are now. If you want to change, you must change many players.”
Conte was frustrated last summer when players he wanted to recruit to build on his title winning team, such as Juventus’ defender Alex Sandros, United striker Romelu Lukaku and Liverpool recruit Virgil Van Dijk, never materialised – and has never hidden his frustration.
The former Juventus manager, who flew out yesterday to attend Italy legend Andrea Pirlo’s testimonial match in Milan which takes place today, said: “I don’t think winning the FA Cup changes anything about my future. A win or a loss cannot change that.
“It’s right for the club to take the best decision. The win on Saturday cannot change an assessment of my work.
“We could have played better at Wembley but the situation is we have to play strong defensively if we want to win a trophy.
“The club has the right experience to understand the moment now and what the club has to do in the future, to be competitive and to fight for a place in the Champions League.”
COMMENTS