Italian manager Antonio Conte has signed a new two-year contract at Chelsea, the Premier League champions have confirmed.
Former Juventus and Italy head coach Conte led Chelsea to glory in his first season in England’s top flight, with the Blues finishing seven points clear of Tottenham at the summit.
The new contract is an improvement upon the terms of the three-year deal the 47-year-old agreed when he joined Chelsea, meaning he is still tied to the Stamford Bridge club until the end of 2018-19.
Conte told Chelsea’s official website: ‘I am very happy to have signed a new contract with Chelsea. We worked extremely hard in our first year to achieve something amazing, which I am very proud of. Now we must work even harder to stay at the top.
‘The Chelsea fans have given me so much support since I arrived here one year ago and it is important we continue to succeed together.’
Conte has bolstered his squad with the arrival Germany defender Antonio Rudiger from Roma and midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko from Monaco, although his decision to freeze out striker Diego Costa and the failure to secure an attacking replacement means the close season has not run entirely smoothly to date.
Manchester United’s capture of Romelu Lukaku reportedly angered Conte, who was a target for Inter Milan before they appointed Luciano Spalletti to succeed Stefano Pioli, although Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia believes the Italian remains the ideal man to lead the Blues to further success as they prepare for a return to the Champions League.
‘Antonio achieved incredible success last season, adapting to English football very quickly and leading us to the Premier League title,’ she said.
‘This new contract reflects our belief that he can continue to deliver results both domestically and as we return to European competition in the Champions League.’
Conte has added compatriots Paolo Vanoli and Davide Mazzotta to his backroom staff for the new season.
Vanoli will serve as his assistant after Steve Holland took up a post under Gareth Southgate with the England national team, while Mazzotta will work on player analysis.
– This story originally appeared on FourFourTwo.co.za
