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Antonio Conte leaves Chelsea training ground looking sad as his position at Stamford Bridge remains uncertain

  • Antonio Conte’s position as manager of Chelsea continues to be unstable
  • Sportsmail revealed that there is unrest within the dressing room at Chelsea
  • Conte has privately acknowledged that he will not be at Chelsea next season
  • He gave his players a three-day break and will reconvene with them on Friday 

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte appeared less than happy as he left the club’s Cobham training base on Thursday, with his future at Stamford Bridge remaining shrouded in uncertainty.

Sportsmail revealed there is major dressing-room unrest at Chelsea but the Italian has insisted he would not be forced out of his job.

Conte has privately acknowledged he will not be Chelsea manager next season but he is refusing to walk away, preferring for owner Roman Abramovich to decide his fate.

Some players, however, find Conte’s training regime repetitive and monotonous. Similarly, some have blamed the tension at the club’s Cobham HQ on Conte’s ‘bad moods’.

Conte, who earns £9million-per-year, left the complex driving his £15,000 Nissan Juke.

‘This is my wife’s desire to have a small car because a small car is easier to drive and then especially if you are starting to drive on the right,’ he has said of the car choice.

‘This car is enough for my daughter, for my wife because my wife uses the car to bring my daughter to school and if we want to have a dinner around Cobham we can go.

‘I think that it is enough to have this type of car. I don’t know about this but everyone has to understand the utility of something.

‘In this case to bring my daughter from my house to the international school it is not necessary to have a Ferrari or a Porsche. It is enough to have a Nissan to do this in a simple way.’

Although Conte was present at Cobham on Thursday, the first-team squad do not regroup until Friday following the manager’s decision to give the squad three days off.

The Blues coach, who has 18 months left to run on his contract, was a picture of apprehension when he left the training complex.

How long Conte remains in charge is likely to depend on whether own Roman Abramovich can appoint the man he wants to replace Conte.

Former Barcelona manager Luis Enrique remains Chelsea’s first choice to be Conte’s permanent replacement, but it looks increasingly unlikely the Spaniard will take the reins before next season.

Enrique is currently on a year-long sabbatical after winning nine trophies in three seasons at the Nou Camp and he is reluctant to to cut that break short.

Chelsea — who lost their last Premier League game 4-1 to Watford — don’t play again until Monday night when they welcome West Brom and will be seeking their first win in seven games.

 

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