The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Conte would love to stay for many years to come
FA CUP FINAL
Antonio Conte is eager to extend his Chelsea contract and insists he would love to stay at the club for many years to come.
The Italian has already led Chelsea to the Premier League title in his first season in England and will secure the double if his side beat Arsenal in today’s FA Cup final.
Inter Milan have been credited with an interest in Conte this summer but he has two years left on his current deal and is keen to sign an extension.
“If the club give me the possibility to stay here and to extend my contract, for sure I am available to do this,” Conte said.
“But we have the same idea about the future. The way we have to do things together, to improve the squad and the team.
“But, I repeat, I’m happy for this season and am happy to stay here. I hope to stay here for many years.”
Chelsea undoubtedly start as favourites to lift the cup after finishing 18 points ahead of Arsenal.
“We have to forget that we won the league and be concentrated instead on this target,” Conte said.
“In this moment it’s very important to keep the right concentration. I think that, in this aspect, we could start as underdogs because we won the league.
“We won the league and we celebrated the league.
“Instead, we face a team who lost out on the possibility to play in the Champions League next season and they have only this possibility to save their season.”
Victory would also make Arsene Wenger the most successful manager in the history of the competition by moving him one ahead of George Ramsay’s record six FA Cup triumphs.
Wenger, in his 21st season in charge of Arsenal, is yet to confirm if he will still be in charge at the Emirates next season, with an announcement expected following a board meeting next week.
“He has been a massive influence on my career,” said Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
“He took me from League one into a massive club in the Premier League and Champions League. That changed my career and my future, ultimately.
“We all respect our manager massively and we want to give him the win just as much as we want to give the fans the win. That’s the most important thing. It is Arsenal Football Club. Everyone here wants to win.
“Obviously the League form has not allowed us to do that and it has not been good enough in that sense but we find ourselves in a final with an opportunity to do that.
“We want to deliver for the manager, ourselves, the club and the fans as well. So all of those things go hand in hand. We are there to win for all of our sakes.”