C nte-nued To be
> Chelsea boss is safe at Stamford Bridge until end of season <
ANTONIO CONTE’S job as Chelsea boss is safe - until the summer. His position has been under threat for months.
But Chelsea’s top choice to replace him Luis Enrique doesn’t want to join them until the end of the season.
The Blues have also discounted bringing in ex-Hull and Watford boss Marco Silva as caretaker manager due to fears about his ability to handle the job.
The champions dropped out of the top four on Sunday following a 2-1 defeat at Manchester United.
Conte and owner Roman Abramovich and his Chelsea board have not seen eye-to-eye throughout this season, with the Italian angry at having little say in transfers.
Starsport can reveal the Stamford Bridge outfit sounded out both former Barcelona boss Enrique and ex-Borussia Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel about replacing Conte.
Enrique, who is currently on a sabbatical, has always been the preferred choice. But both he and Tuchel did not want to join the club at such a difficult time so late in the season, when they would not be able to make any additions to the squad.
It has ensured Conte stays in charge, despite his constant sniping at his bosses and inconsistent results, which has seen Chelsea win just twice on the road in more than three months.
Silva was sacked by Watford in January after being accused of losing focus following Everton’s failed attempt to land him.
But there were serious concerns about the 40-year-old being able to come in and turn things round, with Chelsea having such crucial games coming up.
They face leaders Manchester City on Sunday, then Crystal Palace at home before a trip to Barcelona in the Champions League, having drawn the home leg 1-1.
Dutchman Guus Hiddink, 71 – who has twice been caretaker boss – was discounted due to his age and a feeling he has lost his edge having been out of the game for 20 months.
And it appears that Abramovich has now accepted that Conte is the best option to see out the season.
That also seems to suit the exJuventus and Italy manager who knows he will be in the running for top jobs at Paris St-German and Real Madrid in the summer.
He is also Italy’s number one choice to take over as national coach, Italian federation vice-commissioner Alessandro Costacurta revealed yesterday.
“I haven’t chosen yet but I think Conte is the one who could do the best,” Costacurta told Gazzetta dello Sport. “I’ll definitely talk with him in a couple of months.”
Former AC Milan star Costacurta has been given the task of finding a replacement for Gian Piero Ventura, who was sacked after Italy’s embarrassing World Cup exit.
Conte, 48, coached Italy from 2014 to the quarterfinals of the 2016 European Championship before taking over at Chelsea.
Other candidates include Roberto Mancini, Claudio Ranieri and Carlo Ancelotti. “(Conte) has already shown he knows how to be national coach while the others haven’t yet,” added Costacurta. – Daily Star/ Agencies