Chelsea have reportedly already lined up a replacement for Antonio Conte should the manager end up leaving, having held talks with former boss Carlo Ancelotti.
According to an exclusive from Daily Record, Chelsea fans could very well see one of their former favourites return to Stamford Bridge in a bittersweet development. The Blues have reportedly held talks with former boss Carlo Ancelotti to replace current manager Antonio Conte.
The update does not end there. Transfer expert Ian McGarry has even made claims that Carlo Ancelotti will be reinstated as Chelsea manager before the start of next season. The pundit said that the succession plan for Antonio Conte is already in place after talks between Ancelotti and Chelsea officials had gone smoothly.
The report reveals that there is a general air of expectancy around Stamford Bridge that the 2017-18 season is the last one for Conte as Chelsea manager. McGarry adds that in case Chelsea do not perform upto expectations in the Champions League knockout stages, we could very well see the Italian depart before the end of the season.
Rumours currently that Antonio Conte will leave at the start of next season to make way for Carlo Ancelotti… imagine the end of ConteTweets… ?
Obviously I don’t believe it, Media at their best again. pic.twitter.com/cxKFs4SIsy
— ConteTweets (@ConteTweetss) December 15, 2017
Part of the reason for such claims is the belief that Conte has lost the dressing room (the tiff between Conte and David Luiz) and the Board’s trust in him after regular conflicts with both parties from the start of the new season.
The transfer window has been labelled as one of the main causes of the rift between Conte and the Board, which also saw Michael Emenalo depart after a long spell as the club’s technical director.
There is a general feeling that Conte’s continuous moaning about the transfers has not gone down well with the Board and Roman Abramovich has not taken too well with the Italian manager’s response to the summer transfer window.
Carlo Ancelotti does seem like the ideal replacement as well. A case can be made that the former Real Madrid manager’s sacking during his first tenure at Chelsea was harsh from Abramovich, especially after Chelsea had just secured the domestic double in the season gone by.
The Italian’s general attitude is one that sees Ancelotti not entangle himself much in transfer issues and as a manager, he has always been more accommodating than the likes of Conte and Jose Mourinho have been touted to be.
Carlo Ancelotti is the #1 choice of the Chelsea board to replace Antonio Conte.
The inevitable sacking might be on the cards depending on the next few games.
— Sripad (@falsewinger) December 11, 2017
The move to secure Ancelotti as Conte’s replacement this early could also prove to be a masterstroke by Abramovich. Ancelotti has been linked to Paris Saint-Germain and some potential vacancies at other top clubs after he was given his marching orders by Bayern Munich.
When Ancelotti takes over will likely be dictated by Conte and his team’s performances in the games to come. But, according to the report, the deal seems done and it only is a matter of time before the fan favourite returns to Stamford Bridge in a move that should delight fans.
