CONTE PAY RISE

Wage hike for Italian at Bridge

ANTONIO CONTE has signed a two- year contract at Chelsea and accepted a huge pay rise after easing tensions with the board.

Following a week when Chelsea have backed Conte in the transfer market by spending more than £74million on new signings, they agreed a record £9m-a-year deal with the Italian that is the same length as his original contract. He was previously on £6.5m a year, and his rise makes him the highest-paid boss in Chelsea’s history.

The board was especially unhappy with his handling of the decision to axe Diego Costa and it is believed that Conte has been forced to give them assurances about his future conduct. He texted Costa and told him he was no longer wanted, which instantly reduced the striker’s value in the transfer market when the private note was revealed.

The striker was pictured wearing an Atletico Madrid shirt on Monday as he seeks to force a move away and has not travelled on the pre-season trip in China.

Chelsea have landed £34m Antonio Rudiger and £40m Tiemoue Bakayoko and are keen on bringing in a striker to replace Costa. This has helped relations with Conte, who was unhappy with the club’s efforts in the transfer market since winning the title.

In a statement, Conte said: ‘I am very happy to have signed a new contract. We worked extremely hard in our first year to achieve something amazing, which I am very proud of. Now we must work even harder to stay at the top. The Chelsea fans have given me so much support since I arrived here one year ago and it is important we continue to succeed together.’

Club director Marina Granovskaia added: ‘Antonio achieved incredible success last season, adapting to English football very quickly and leading us to the Premier League title. This new contract reflects our belief that he can continue to deliver results both domestically and as we return to European competition in the Champions League.’

The deal was announced as Chelsea flew to China and Singapore for their pre- season tour, where they will face Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.

Conte’s fellow Italians Paolo Vanoli and Davide Mazzotta have joined the club as assistant coaches.