Conte rejects Vialli’s claim he ‘can’t wait’ to leave Chelsea
Former Juventus teammate said earlier this week his fellow Italian was ready to leave Stamford Bridge
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte insisted his friend Gianluca Vialli was wrong to claim he “can’t wait” to leave Stamford Bridge this summer.
Vialli, himself a former Chelsea manager, spoke about Conte’s future earlier this week, saying his fellow Italian and former Juventus teammate was ready to leave Chelsea.
Conte delivered the Premier League title last year in his first season in England but has suffered a demoralising campaign this time around, with the club lying eight points off a place in the top four.
Such a season has seen Conte’s long-term status at Stamford Bridge come under intense scrutiny, with Vialli speaking about the situation on Sky Sport Italia.
“Conte can’t wait to leave Chelsea,” Vialli said. “He can’t stand that they sell or buy players without consulting him.”
Ahead of Chelsea’s London derby meeting with West Ham United today, Conte hit back by claiming he has not spoken to Vialli for some time.
“Don’t forget that now Gianluca Vialli for many years is working for Sky. He is a journalist,” he said.
“He is a friend, but he is a journalist and I have great respect for him, but I can tell you I’m not talking [to him] since one year.
“Now I think his role brings him to say something about my situation.
“This is not the only person that is doing this.
“With Gianluca, we played together for many years at Juventus, he was my captain, we won the Champions League together and I consider him a friend. I understand because he is now a journalist and he has to give news to Sky and to try to speak about my situation. Those who know me very well, they know me, they know that in this moment I am very angry. I am very sad for this situation.
“Those who know me very well know I am trying to put all of myself to change this situation because I have great responsibility.”
Chelsea have managed just five wins out of 19 in all competitions since the turn of the year, sparking fresh rumours that Conte’s intense personality and demanding training style have lost him the support of several key players.
Their lacklustre performance in Chelsea’s first home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur for 28 years last weekend hardly erased that impression.
“For sure we must be realistic. This defeat was a bad defeat for us. We had the opportunity to reduce the gap to Tottenham,” Conte said of the 3-1 reverse.
“We have to try to do everything to try to continue, to fight for a top-four place. It won’t be easy. We have to try to give all ourselves.
“We must show pride, desire, a will to fight until the end this season. This must be our target now.”
West Ham are five points above the relegation zone following last weekend’s crucial win over Southampton.
David Moyes’ side beat Chelsea earlier this season and the Scot is eyeing a repeat.
“We haven’t got enough points to be safe yet,” he said. “It was a really big win for us [against Chelsea], for the team, for the club, it gave us all a boost.
“I hope lightning can strike twice and we can do it again.”