Russian billionaire, Roman Abramovich who was said to be angry with the way Antonio Conte treated former player Diego Costa, has reportedly made a major decision over his future after 3-0 loss to AS Roma in the Champions League.
Roman Abramovich and Antonio Conte
English Premier League champions, Chelsea FC's billionaire owner, Roman Abramovich has already made up his mind to sack Antonio Conte at the end of the season.
Here's how a Spanish newspaper,
Marca exclusively reported the story;
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Chelsea have entered into a state of panic and are already looking for a new coach for next season given that Antonio Conte's relationship with club bosses has deteriorated and poor results, like the defeat to Roma, aren't helping.
It now seems unlikely that Conte will continue as Chelsea coach next season. Despite being reigning champions of the Premier League, conflicts with players and disappointing results on the field are having an impact. In addition, the row with Diego Costa did not help.
Roman Abramovich has already decided to sack the Italian. Having focused on winning the one title that evaded him for many years, he finally won the Champions League under Roberto di Matteo, who was sacked months later. The Russian is not patient if coaches upset him.
It is not the first time that the owner has disconnected himself from the coach before firing them, and he's said to no longer be on talking terms with Conte, just as happened with Carlo Ancelotti, Jose Mourinho, and Guus Hiddink.
There is little dialogue between the two and that is left to Marina Granovskaia, a director at the club.
The debate over the future of Diego Costa was the first sign of a strain on the relationship, with Conte close to leaving in the summer as he considered Abramovich's actions to be disrespectful.
The situation has not improved. Conte is still struggling to improve relations with his players now, and there were tense moments both at half-time against Watford and again in Rome.
Conte knows that his club are considering other options for next season, some of whom are already coaching in the Premier League, although the former Juventus coach remains hopeful of keeping his team's expectations of success alive this season.