Chelsea ‘consider sensational approach for Antonio Conte’
Chelsea ‘consider sensational approach for Antonio Conte’ as search for permanent Graham Potter replacement goes on with Frank Lampard set to take over as interim manager until the end of the season
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Chelsea are considering a sensational approach for former manager Antonio Conte, it has been claimed.
Sportsmail reported earlier this week that Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital have committed to an ‘exhaustive’ search as they look to appoint the third permanent manager of their short tenure since buying the club after parting ways with Graham Potter on Sunday following a disastrous 31-game spell in charge.
Blues legend and former Stamford Bridge boss Frank Lampard is set to take interim charge until the end of the season but the club have already begun talking to candidates for the permanent role, having spoken to Luis Enrique on Wednesday.
Chelsea also plan to talk to Julian Nagelsmann and Mauricio Pochettino, who like Enrique are out of work, but The Independent report that former Blues boss Conte is another manager the club’s owners wish to speak to.
Conte, who guided Chelsea to the Premier League title in 2017, only left their London rivals Tottenham last week after his reign turned sour.
Antonio Conte is reportedly one of the candidates being considered by Chelsea as they search for a Graham Potter replacement
The Italian recently left Tottenham after a public falling out stemming from a post-match rant
Frank Lampard was in attendance as Chelsea drew 0-0 with Liverpool at Stamford Bridge and the club legend is set to take charge on an interim basis through until the end of the season
The report claims that contact has been made through intermediaries, with Chelsea’s hierarchy said to view the Italian as a winner who could find structure within a bloated playing squad.
Conte, 53, enjoyed remarkable success with Chelsea in his first campaign, briefly shaking up English football with a 3-4-3 formation that saw the Blues storm to the Premier League title.
His second season was blighted by squad disharmony and disagreements with the hierarchy, particularly over transfer targets and finances, though they did still win the FA Cup.
The Italian recently left Tottenham on acrimonious terms after a rant following a draw at Southampton that appeared to throw everyone at the club, players and higher-ups included, under the bus.
Referencing the club’s lack of silverware in recent years, Conte made his position untenable and it was announced a week later he would be leaving with immediate effect.
The speculation comes amid news that Lampard is expected to be back in the Chelsea manager’s hot seat, just months after he was sacked by Everton, having spent 12 months in charge on Merseyside.
Chelsea’s record goalscorer and former manager watched a sterile performance against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night which did little to enhance the credentials of the existing caretaker, Bruno Saltor, one of Potter’s assistants who agreed to stay on following his sacking on Sunday.
Chelsea made a breakthrough in negotiations with Lampard on Wednesday afternoon leading to confidence that he could be in charge for Saturday’s Premier League visit to Wolves, which is followed by the first leg of a Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid in the Bernabeu next Wednesday.
Lampard’s surprise return would boost Chelsea fans who have been disillusioned with the club’s lack of progress under Potter for several months, and give him an opportunity to rebuild his reputation with some players he knows well and in a comfortable environment.
Lampard had a breakthrough in talks with the west London club on Wednesday afternoon
Former Spain boss Luis Enrique is now the frontrunner for the permanent job in the summer
Appointing a more experienced caretaker than Saltor would also give Chelsea more time to secure a permanent head coach to take over in the summer, although they are also advancing quickly with that search.
Enrique flew to London for talks on Wednesday in which he is understood to have expressed his desire to take the job, but he is not the only candidate.
Chelsea players have become convinced that the next permanent head coach will be either Nagelsmann or Enrique.
There are also concerns among the squad over the possibility of Bruno remaining in charge until the end of the season due to his closeness to Potter.
