Chelsea must pay off EIGHT of Conte’s men when axe falls

THE cost of sacking Antonio Conte is being forced up and the task complicated by the prospect of removing and replacing the army of staff he has built around him at Chelsea. A total of nine Italians will go if Conte leaves Stamford Bridge as expected after Saturday’s FA Cup final against Manchester United. Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri has emerged as the leading candidate to succeed him. Conte, who has one year left on his £9million-a-year contract, brought in six staff when he arrived in 2016. And when Steve Holland left to become Gareth Southgate’s assistant with England last year, Conte was allowed to bring in another two. This was Roman Abramovich’s attempt to back a manager who impressed as he won the title in his first season. The Russian owner had been stung by this in the past, with enormous pay-offs for Jose Mourinho and his staff in 2007 and then for Luiz Felipe Scolari and his assistants in 2009. Chelsea tried to scale back on itinerant staff when Carlo Ancelotti arrived in 2009 by bringing in Ray Wilkins and Holland, and promoting Paul Clement. However, they are back in a situation where almost the entire first-team coaching staff are fiercely loyal to Conte. The situation helped the manager survive crisis points in a disappointing Premier League campaign. Failure to qualify for the Champions League will hit revenue by at least £50m. There was no one available to take control if Abramovich wanted to fire Conte mid-season and no suitable interim alternative. Chelsea’s Italians have become insular, barely interacting with anyone outside their inner circle and take turns to enjoy extended time off during the international breaks. This coupled with the pressure of poor results has soured the atmosphere at the training ground, upsetting some players. Sarri, whose Napoli side finished second in Serie A, would be a relatively cheap and straightforward appointment. Luis Enrique, long-time favourite to replace Conte, is available but costly. He would expect a salary of more than £15m a year and also works with a trusted staff.