It was certainly a long time coming, but a parting of ways is probably best for both parties. Thursday saw widespread reports that Chelsea FC have finally sacked their manager Antonio Conte. It’s universally understood that former Napoli manager Maurizio Sarri will be his replacement.
Conte led the Blues to the Premier League title in 2016-17, his first year on the job. He also won another piece of silverware for the club’s trophy cabinet during his final game in charge, a FA Cup triumph over Manchester United.
However, the Blues finished outside the top four this past season and couldn’t get bast Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League round of 16. The Conte era at Chelsea was marked by plenty of stress and strife, with talk of his exit commencing as far back as last summer. The Italian clashed with the higher ups over transfer spending policies, and given the extremely itchy trigger finger of owner Roman Abramovich, it was inevitable that Conte’s days were numbered.
The former manager of the Italian national team was putting the players through preseason practice on Monday, but that’s only because business logistics delayed his ouster. Chelsea struggled with the notion of paying Conte his £9 million buyout while at the same time dealing with hardball talks by Napoli over the Sarri deal.
Sky Italy were one of the first outlets to report Conte’s sacking.
BREAKING: Sky in Italy: Antonio Conte no longer @ChelseaFC head coach. #SSN pic.twitter.com/UoSf3AL80k
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) July 12, 2018
The manager turmoil and uncertainty has paralyzed Chelsea in the transfer market this summer, but a deal for Napoli man Jorginho is reportedly close.
Also, it seems to be widely understood that Sarri’s arrival could also prompt the arrival of CSKA Moscow Aleksandr Golovin and Juventus defender Daniele Rugani.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, is currently a regular contributor to SB Nation, WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
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