Chelsea Respond To Reports Of Antonio Conte Getting Sacked
Reuters / Lee Smith
After leading them to Premier League glory last season, Antonio Conte and his antics at Chelsea came to the limelight, with the Italian being hailed as one of the best in the game. However, following a summer of rifts with senior management and his outspoken frustration regarding their transfer business, it emerged earlier this week that he might be replaced as the manager.
According to German outlet Sports Bild, former Borussia Dortmund manager Thomas Tuchel is being looked at for the top spot at Stamford Bridge. What had reportedly fueled the speculation is the 48-year-old’s fallout with club director Marina Granovskaia over estranged striker Diego Costa.
The Spaniard, who was also last season’s top scorer for the Blues, is eager on a move back to Atletico Madrid. The director played a key role in bringing the striker to London back in 2014. As of such, she is said to be furious with Conte and his dismissal of the player without having a potential replacement in mind.
Furthermore, the manager’s angst stems from the clubs’ lack of ability to attract top quality names in the summer window. Ironically, this comes in the background of their signing of the likes of Alvaro Morata and Tiemoue Bakayoko, both of whom are hailed as brilliant talents.
However, Chelsea have now insisted that they won’t be parting ways with the former Italian national team boss who landed the Premier League title in his debut season, guiding the club to 30 victories in the 38 games they played.
RUTERS/Thilo Schmuelgen
Moreover, his speculated successor, Thomas Tuchel, hasn’t achieved as much success in comparison, having only secured a DFB Pokal crown during his stint with the Bundesliga giants last season.
To add to it, the German tactician is notorious for creating rifts with senior management, which led to his ousting both at Mainz as well as Dortmund. This doesn’t seem a likely quality for the profile that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich will be looking for.
While it is clear that the Blues have had a clunky start to their season, following a FA Community Shield loss to rivals Arsenal as well as a 3-2 opening day embarrassment against Burnley, Conte and company put up a determined 2-1 victory against Tottenham earlier this week.
With a match against Everton coming up this Sunday, he will be more than eager to steer the champions back to winning ways and put forth a strong defense to their title.
Written by Kunal Kambli 
An introverted grammar pedantic who worships football and loves writing about it. Part of the BlameFootball team since 2016.