Popular former coach has “offered himself” to Chelsea; Blues unlikely to appoint him for obvious reasons | OneFootball

Antonio Conte’s name has been mentioned once again in connection with a return to Chelsea. SportWitness have translated quotes from Italy which claim that the coach has “offered himself” to the club over a potential return, using an intermediary with an “excellent relationship” with us.

The piece notes that Conte could be a perfect candidate for managing this group of talented Chelsea players, doing “what he does best” and forging them into a solid unit with a winning mentality, just as he did in his last spell at the club.

It’s a very different setup here now of course – new owners, new players and a whole new model. Conte is known for favouring experience (much to fans’ frustration in his last spell), and we can only imagine what he would make of the callow squad that has been assembled in the last couple of years.

An unlikely candidate – despite the changes

Mauricio Pochettino’s future is still hanging delicately in the balance, although It does seem like there’s a general trend towards a departure being more likely than it seemed a few days ago.

The problem with Conte is much like the problem with Thomas Tuchel or a few of the other candidates mentioned. He doesn’t manage up well, and let’s not forget that his last spell at the club ended up with him winning a court case against us.

That was a different ownership, but it’s the same Conte. Those in charge want a head coach who will get on with managing the players provided, not someone who is going to cause trouble. As much as Chelsea fans might love to get him back, he’s further than ever from being the type of coach we’re looking for.

With surprisingly little interest in him from other clubs, it feels like his intermediaries are really just putting his name out there to generate some interest.