Daily Mail

CONTE BORES US

Stars fed up as Chelsea boss clings to his job

- By SAMI MOKBEL and MATT BARLOW

Antonio Conte was hanging on to his job last night despite increasing player unrest at Stamford Bridge.

Sportsmail can reveal there is major dressing- room tension at Chelsea, where Conte is facing a battle to appease some unhappy players who have grown tired of his methods. Some find his training regime repetitive and monotonous, others have blamed the tension at the club’s training ground on the manager’s ‘bad moods’.

But Conte insists he will not be forced out of his job. He has acknowledg­ed

privately that he will not be Chelsea manager next season but is refusing to walk away, preferring that owner Roman Abramovich decides his fate. The Italian has 18 months left on his £9million-a-year contract and will be due substantia­l compensati­on if he is sacked. Conte launched into a furious dressing-room rant after last week’s 3-0 home defeat by Bournemout­h. Players have privately complained of fatigue, blaming the manager’s intense training schedule. The fact that the squad have suffered a number of muscle injuries this season indicates they are being overworked. Conte responded yesterday by giving them three days off, also allowing himself some down time. Chelsea don’t play again until Monday night when they welcome West Brom. How long Conte remains in charge is likely to depend on whether Abramovich can appoint the man he wants as his replacemen­t. Former Barcelona manager Luis Enrique is the favourite due to the fact he is out of work and would be available immediatel­y. Napoli manager Maurizio Sarri has his admirers but luring him away from Serie A midseason would be problemati­c. Thomas Tuchel is another candidate. Meanwhile, there is uncertaint­y about goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois’s future after he hinted at a move to longterm admirers Real Madrid yesterday. Courtois (below) said: ‘If Real are really interested, my personal situation could affect it, yes. ‘What is certain is that I will one day return to Madrid. My two children live there with their mum. I have my daughter every day on FaceTime. Whenever I have the opportunit­y, I try to make a return trip to Spain. As a situation, it is not always easy. ‘Yes, my heart is in Madrid. It is logical and understand­able. But I repeat to you that, for the moment, I’m busy talking to Chelsea

to extend.’

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