Beijing: Antonio Conte has finally put pen to paper on a new contract at Chelsea, whom he steered to the Premier League title in his first year in English football, to ease any immediate concerns over his future, though the Italian has not extended his commitment to the club beyond the next two years.
Chelsea confirmed the deal just as the manager and his squad departed for Beijing, and a three-match pre-season tour of China and Singapore, on Tuesday evening with Conte describing the team’s achievements last year as “something amazing” in the club’s statement. The director, Marina Granovskaia, hailed the 47-year-old’s “incredible success” with the new contract reflecting the board’s “belief that he can continue to deliver results both domestically and as we return to European competition in the Champions League”.
Yet the reality that the deal, first mooted ahead of the FA Cup final in May and believed to be the most lucrative offered in the club’s history at around £9.6m-a-year (Dh45.9 million), stretches no further than 2019, when Conte’s original contract was due to expire, is intriguing.
The Italian had been expected to sign an extension through to 2021 but has cut a frustrated figure this summer while Chelsea have struggled to reinforce after last year’s title winning squad and ahead of that return to Europe’s elite club competition.
Manchester United stole a march on them to secure Everton’s Romelu Lukaku, a player Conte had coveted, while interest in the likes of Leonardo Bonucci came to nothing and Alex Sandro has yet to be secured from Juventus.
The relationship between manager and board was strained, too, by Conte’s decision to inform Diego Costa, by text message, that he had no future at the club, potentially damaging the club’s bargaining position over his sale in the process. Talks with Atletico Madrid over the striker’s departure remain ongoing. The board have mobilised over the last fortnight to secure Antonio Rudiger and Tiemoue Bakayoko for significant fees but, with Costa granted permission to miss the trip,
Chelsea travelled to China with Michy Batshuayi — a bit-part player last year — as their only senior striker of note. The hope is they will deflect Milan’s interest in Alvaro Morata to secure the Spain forward from Real Madrid ahead of the new campaign, and still manager to prise Sandro from Juve.
But, with Nemanja Matic expected to leave and Eden Hazard currently recovering from ankle surgery, the process of strengthening the team is at a fledgling stage with the start of the title defence only 25 days away.
There is still time for Chelsea to make waves in the market and secure the players Conte believes can make them competitive in the Premier League and Champions League next term, but the closed season has been far from plain sailing.
The manager has at least been marginally appeased by the club’s decision to sanction the arrivals of two compatriots to his coaching staff, with Paolo Vanoli joining as an assistant head coach and Davide Mazzotta working as an assistant and in player analysis. Steve Holland departed Stamford Bridge in May to join Gareth Southgate’s coaching staff on a full-time basis.
Chelsea will play Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Internazionale — the club whose interest in bringing Conte back to Italy had served to unsettle at times last season — in China and Singapore, with the champions content at least that any fears their head coach might move on this summer have been allayed.
“I am very happy to have signed a new contract with Chelsea,” said Conte. “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 Italian steered his side to a club record 13 consecutive league victories as autumn turned to winter, secured a Premier League record 30 victories over the entire campaign and also reached the FA Cup final, all at a club who had just endured the worst season ever experienced under Roman Abramovich’s ownership.
“Antonio achieved incredible success last season, adapting to English football very quickly and leading us to the Premier League title,” added Granovskaia. “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.”
— Guardian News & Media Ltd, 2017
