Conte signs £19m deal to allay Chelsea exit fears but does not extend contract
Antonio Conte has eased doubts about his immediate Chelsea future but still raised fresh questions about his longer-term status after agreeing last night to improve but not extend his contract.
Although both Chelsea and Conte conveyed their delight at an enhanced new deal that is believed to be worth £19.2 million until 2019, the previous expectation of a more lengthy commitment at Stamford Bridge, potentially until 2021, has not been realised.
Conte had indicated in May that he wanted to “extend” his contract for many years but he has been frustrated this summer by the club’s failure to sign Romelu Lukaku from Everton, while his handling of Diego Costa’s future has also caused tension. Conte informed the striker by text message that he was not in his plans.
Even so, the pay rise does still represent a reward for Conte’s achievement in winning the Premier League in his first season in England and arrives ahead of the club’s pre-season tour to Asia and fixtures against Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.
Chelsea also announced that they would be appointing two of Conte’s compatriots to his coaching team. Paolo Vanoli will join as first-team assistant and Davide Mazzotta will also work as an assistant with particular responsibility for player analysis.
Conte used Mazzotta as his opposition scout for the Italian national team during Euro 2016 and the 47-year-old has also worked as an Under-17s coach at Lecce. The backroom appointments follow the departure of Steve Holland to become assistant to Gareth Southgate, the England manager.
“I am very happy to have signed a new contract with Chelsea,” said Conte in a statement.
“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.”
Marina Granovskaia, club director, described Conte’s achievement last season as “incredible” but also stressed the importance next season of the club’s return to the Champions League.
“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,” said Granovskaia.
Chelsea have so far signed 22-year-old midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko from French champions Monaco for £40million on a five-year deal and also bought defender Antonio Rudiger from Roma for £29million. Conte has also signalled the departure of key players, with Costa and midfielder Nemanja Matic both absent from the squad that has travelled to Asia.
Since being trumped by Manchester United over Lukaku, Chelsea have made inquiries regarding Alvaro Morata, Andrea Belotti and Pierre-emerick Aubameyang, while Alexis Sanchez has not been fully discounted – despite Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger’s public insistence last night that the Spanish international will not be sold.
Conte steered Chelsea to a club record 13 consecutive league victories en route to a Premier League record 30 wins in a season that also culminated in an FA Cup final defeat against Arsenal. The two clubs meet in the Community Shield at Wembley on Aug 6.