BYE BYE
Chelsea could lose angry Conte, Hazard and Courtois in summer despite their cup triumph
ANTONIO CONTE is set to leave Chelsea – and he could not resist one final parting shot.
In what promises to be a turbulent summer, the Blues could also lose their best player, Eden Hazard, and keeper Thibaut Courtois. Departing boss Conte accused the club of failing to match his ambition by not making top-level signings. His own exit
is only being held up while Chelsea negotiate a pay-off, with 12 months left on his £9million-a-year contract, while they search for a replacement.
Ex-Barcelona boss Luis Enrique is on their wish list, while fellow candidate Maurizio Sarri looks to be on his way out of Napoli.
He led them to the runners-up spot in Serie A, but after a 2-1 final-day win over Crotone, he said: “I need to thank the crowd.
“I have no idea what I will do next. But I don’t think I could go to another Italian team immediately. ”
Conte, meanwhile, said Chelsea knew what they were getting when they hired him, and revealed his frustration at the failure to strengthen the squad after last season’s title win.
“Sometimes you may not have the same ambition,” he said. “But when you decide to take a coach like me, you must know who you are taking.
“The club knows what it has to do to be competitive and to fight for a place in the Champions League.
“But right now we have to play strong defensively if we want to win a trophy.
“Maybe we missed the Champions League because we tried to play very open.
“But a great team does not concede three goals or four goals against Watford.”
Courtois admitted he could leave after warning Blues to spend big to keep up with Manchester City.
He said: “We’ll see after the World Cup whether I am a Chelsea player for next year.” When asked whether they needed a big summer in the transfer market, Courtois said: “Yeah, especially if you see how City and United are spending and working.”
And Wembley hero Hazard said: “I will see what happens next season – if we have a new manager, if we bring new players.”