Chelsea officially sack Antonio Conte

 

Chelsea have announced they have sacked head coach Antonio Conte after two whirlwind years at the club.

 

Conte still had another season to run on the three-year deal he penned when taking the Chelsea job in 2016 but the west London outfit have opted to go in a different direction.

 

The writing has been on the wall for Conte since the end of last season, but the Italian refused to quit and even reported for pre-season training at the start of the week.

 

Chelsea have endured a dismal summer but will now hope they can finally move forward after making a breakthrough in discussions with Napoli for Conte’s replacement, Maurizio Sarri.

 

The Premier League giants have been locked in talks with Napoli since the end of last season but have only this week managed to get their top managerial target.

 

 

An announcement of Sarri’s appointment is expected imminently, followed by the arrival of Napoli midfielder Jorginho.

 

Manchester City were leading the chase for Jorginho’s signature all summer only for Chelsea to hi-jack their move by offering Napoli more money.

 

Conte departs Chelsea as an FA Cup winner in his final game in charge, having won the Premier League title in his first season at the helm.

 

The Blues made a poor defence to their league title and ended up finishing outside the top four, but Conte finishes his tenure with an impressive win ratio of 67.1% from 76 matches in all competitions.