Chelsea manager Antonio Conte denied rumours of his exit and has stated his desire to stay at Stamford Bridge until 2019.

The ever-growing speculation of the Italian manager’s exit increased a sky fold after the London side suffered an embarrassing defeat to AFC Bournemouth at home.

Conte was looked up to as the one to carry the club back to glory after winning the Premier League last season, But Chelsea’s results this season, have a lot to be left desired with highly inconsistent performances and trouble in the attacking line.

The rumours of Conte being unhappy at the club are at the rounds, with the Italian being denied with the players he desires. Despite Conte’s repeated claims, the Blues were not involved in the transfer market until the deadline day where they managed to capture Emerson Palmieri and Olivier Giroud at the expense of Michy Batshuayi.

Conte looks forward to an uphill battle against pressure

️ Antonio Conte says he wants to stay at Chelsea #Chelsea #CFC #Conte #AntonioConte pic.twitter.com/76g8enPVSV

— Hibbwell Sports (@HibbwellSports) February 2, 2018

Antonio Conte asserted that he wants to stay true to his current contract and is confident that he will muster through till 2019. He said:

“I still have 18 months on my contract with Chelsea. My desire is to respect this contract, I don’t see any problems with this. I don’t know why there’s speculation about my future. I signed for three years and my desire is to respect the contract.

“As you know very well, I trust my work and this is the only thing that I trust, my work. This is how I became one of the best coaches or managers.”

On asked about the current rut which Chelsea find themselves in, Conte exuded confidence as he believes that he thrives in these kinds of pressure situations and highlighted the importance of pressure in managing such big clubs. He stated:

“I like this type of situation. If I see there is no pressure, it is not for me or for the players — you lose your fire,” he explained.

“I don’t understand why it is only around me. Maybe because this is Chelsea. Pressure is life, if I had no pressure I wouldn’t like it.”

“The speculation doesn’t affect me. The situation has been always the same, with a lot of pressure around me.”

Several managers such as former Barcelona man Luis Enrique, current Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri, Carlo Ancelotti and Diego Simeone are tipped to replace the Italian in the summer.  Whereas Conte is slated to coach the Italian national team for the second time and is being headhunted by Paris Saint-Germain to replace Unai Emery.

Author’s Take:

It is highly unfair to Conte if he gets sacked after a lacklustre season. But things could still turn around for the Blues with them still being in contention for the FA Cup and Champions League. The trend of sacking managers on a repeated occasion on a basis of one poor season, although regular for Chelsea, is not good for the club and the players on a long-term basis.

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