CHELSEA have sent Antonio Conte a lucrative offer to return as boss, according to sensational reports.
The Italian, 54, was sacked by the Blues in the summer of 2018 following two seasons in charge.
Conte has since worked for fierce London rivals Tottenham, by whom he was axed last March following an explosive rant.
According to Italian paper La Repubblica, Chelsea have been in “close contact” with their former boss in recent days.
They add that Conte has emerged as a serious target to replace under-fire current manager Mauricio Pochettino.
The Argentine, 52, will have a year remaining on his Blues contract come the end of the season.
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
But he has faced increasing scrutiny with his side languishing in ninth going into tonight’s clash with Pochettino’s former side Spurs.
Chelsea would have to beat off strong competition to secure Conte’s signature.
The former Italy boss has also received concrete interest from the likes of AC Milan and Napoli in his homeland.
Conte first rocked up at Stamford Bridge back in 2016, following successful stints with Juventus and Italy.
Most read in Football
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS
Inside Conte’s fiery Chelsea exit
By Etienne Fermie
Antonio Conte left Chelsea in July 2018 following a bitter spat with his bosses.
The Italian, 54, had won the Premier League title during his first campaign.
Blues fans fell in love with Conte, but things went sour in his second season.
Following a fifth-placed finish, albeit with an FA Cup triumph, the writing was on the wall for an increasingly surly Conte.
As an agreement on his exit dragged on, he incredibly took charge of the Blues’ first days of pre-season, despite his impending exit being a poorly-kept secret.
Eventually he was sacked on July 13, 2018 – but it didn’t come cheap.
The Blues’ accounts later showed that axing Conte had cost the club £26.6million, taking into account compensation for him and his staff, in addition to his legal fees.
He won the title in his first campaign, romping to 93 points to see off competition from runners-up Tottenham.
Conte’s second season was a more disappointing one, as the Blues slumped to fifth – a whopping 23 points off the tally they had achieved 12 months previously.
He did bow out with an FA Cup triumph, however, with Chelsea beating Manchester United 1-0 in the 2018 final.
Conte was sacked on July 13, 2018 following a long, drawn-out process.
Bizarrely he even took Chelsea’s first pre-season sessions that summer, before being replaced by Maurizio Sarri.
Accounts later showed that sacking Conte cost Chelsea £26.6million – taking into account compensation paid to him and his coaching staff, in addition to his legal fees.
The combustible boss went on to take a year out, before rocking up at Inter Milan.
In his first season at Inter he reached the Europa League final, before he guided them to the Serie A title in the following campaign.
Conte left Inter in the summer of 2021, and initially snubbed an instant return to management when Spurs wanted him to succeed Jose Mourinho as their boss.
After Nuno Espirito Santo was axed by Tottenham chiefs in November of that year, Conte had a change of heart and took charge of the North Londoners.
In his first season he guided the Lilywhites to a fourth-placed finish, pipping rivals Arsenal on the final day.
His second campaign was a disaster, however, with Spurs eventually finishing eighth after sacking Conte in March 2023 following his extraordinary rant.
After a 3-3 draw at St Mary’s he furiously torched his side in a ten-minute press conference, during which he said: “The fire in your eyes. If you have this you don’t go out in the FA Cup.
“Here we are used to [this] for a long time. The club has the responsibility for the transfer market, the coach has the responsibility.
“But the players, where are the players? I see only 11 players that play for themselves.”
On his most recent return to Stamford Bridge, Conte found himself embroiled in a handshake spat with then-Blues boss Thomas Tuchel.
Following a controversial 2-2 draw, Conte brusquely shook Tuchel’s hand.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
The German then clung on, appearing to tell his rival to look him in the eye.
Conte and Tuchel then went face to face, with a melee subsequently ensuing.
How Pochettino can solve Chelsea’s midfield crisis thanks to the works of a 13th century poet
By Andy Dillon
IT IS HIGHLY unlikely that Mauricio Pochettino is familiar with the work of Rumi.
Whether the renowned Islamic poet and mystic had the tactical dilemmas facing Chelsea’s head coach in mind while dreaming up his scholarly works in 13th century Afghanistan, we will never know.
It’s fair to say Rumi was not a regular in The Shed at Stamford Bridge.
Yet one of his most famous quotations strikes right at the heart of Pochettino’s problems trying to transform his team into consistent challengers at the top end of the Premier League.
It was Rumi who wrote so prophetically: “Two birds tied together. They will not be able to fly even though they have four wings.”
He could have scribbled that on the back of his programme from so many of Chelsea’s games this season with regard to Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez.
There is a feeling among regular Chelsea watchers that while it is a blow on a personal level for Fernandez to be ruled out for the rest of the season with his injury problem, it may yet turn to Pochettino’s advantage.
For it allows Caicedo to roam that patch in front of his defence with greater freedom. Both players are exceptional individual talents.
Read Andy Dillon’s take on Chelsea’s midfield in full.
Or check out all of Andy Dillon’s articles.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
