- Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has said he intends to see out his Chelsea contract
- He won the Premier League during his first season in charge at Stamford Bridge
- But this season, he has not had it all his own way and his future is uncertain
- He conceded that Chelsea have a tendency to ‘chop and change’ their managers
- Conte insisted he is happy, but has his bags packed should the worst happen
- Chelsea 1-1 Barcelona REPORT: Lionel Messi nets away goal to level first leg
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has insisted he intends to honour his contract at Stamford Bridge, but revealed he is fully prepared should things take a turn for the worse.
Conte’s side battled hard to hold Barcelona to a 1-1 draw in their Champions League last-16 on Tuesday night, although the Italian has not had it all his own way this term.
He won the Premier League title in his maiden campaign in charge at Chelsea, but his title defence hit the buffers early on in his second season.
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has insisted he intends to honour his contract at Stamford Bridge
Conte’s side battled hard to hold Barcelona to a 1-1 draw in the Champions League on Tuesday
An opening-day defeat by Burnley compounded by consecutive losses against Bournemouth and Watford brought about uncertainty over his future, with Paris Saint-Germain and the Italy national team reportedly in for his services.
Following Tuesday’s match — in which Lionel Messi’s 75th-minute strike cancelled out Willian’s opener — Conte opened up about his thoughts on his future.
‘In 14 years, Chelsea have changed coach 10 times, so they do have a tendency to chop and change here,’ he told Mediaset Premium.
‘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.
After results such as the opening-day defeat by Burnley, reports linked Conte for a move away
But when asked about his future after Lionel Messi had cancelled out Willian’s goal on Tuesday night, the Chelsea boss said he was happy, but conceded that both parties must be satisfied
‘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 intend to respect it. After that, anything can happen in football. I am happy at Chelsea, but both parties need to be happy.
‘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.’
Chelsea will travel to Spain for the return fixture against Barcelona on March 14, but first face a tough test against Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United in the Premier League this Sunday.
‘In our line of work, we always have a bag packed,’ said Conte after the Champions League tie