Antonio Conte has admitted he and the Chelsea board need to settle their differences if he is to see out his contract at the club, and also suggested that there are already potential jobs for him to take if he leaves Chelsea in the summer.
Conte who gave a reminder of his coaching ability by guiding Chelsea to a Champions League last-16 first-leg draw against Barcelona, which they almost won, was back at his energetic best during the game and once again had his name sung by the Stamford Bridge crowd.
The 1-1 draw was not enough to kill the belief that Conte will not be at Chelsea past this season, following the last two transfer windows in which his relationship with the board has been strained.
When asked about his future by Italian media, the 48 year-old said: “In 14 years, Chelsea have changed coach 10 times, so they do have a tendency to chop and change here.
“The media also plays on this habit the moment there are negative results. They were already writing headlines about my dismissal after the opening game against Burnley. It’s no problem for me, in fact I really like pressure. I just hope it doesn’t affect the players.
“I said very clearly, I have a contract to 2019. I want to respect it but anything can happen in football. I’m happy here but to move forward with the marriage everyone needs to be in agreement. My intention is to continue.
“In our line of work, we always have a bag packed. My intention is to remain here, but if something were to change, there would be several different scenarios opening up.”
Conte has already been linked with Paris Saint-Germain, both Milan clubs and a return to coach the Italian national team.