Former Barcelona manager lined up to replace Antonio Conte as Chelsea boss

Conte's relationship with Chelsea continues to break down

Reuben Pinder

Former Barcelona manager lined up to replace Antonio Conte as Chelsea boss

Conte is likely to leave in the summer.

Chelsea are considering a move to bring Luis Enrique to Stamford Bridge in the summer as Antonio Conte’s replacement, according to The Telegraph.

The relationship between Conte and the Chelsea hierarchy has deteriorated over recent months due to disagreements over transfer policy. Rumours surfaced of a dispute between Conte and the board after Chelsea’s midweek defeat to Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semi-final, which will only have made things worse.

Chelsea will almost definitely wait until the end of the season before they part ways with Conte, but are becoming more impatient with his complaints. Conte, though, doesn’t seem to care if his outbursts threaten his job security:

“For sure, I’m not a diplomatic man. I think that you can see this. At the same time, I think that I’m very honest; I’m very honest.

“I’m sure, if I try to change myself, it’s right to stop, to stop my career. I think that the honest person speaks very clearly in every moment. And, if you are a fake, you are fake and you try always to not tell the truth.

“I repeat: I prefer to be honest, to tell the truth in every moment. I hate the fake person”, he said on Friday.

If Chelsea do sever ties with the Italian in the summer, Luis Enrique is one of a few coaches Chelsea would look at hiring in his place.

Like Pep Guardiola, Enrique managed Barcelona B and later managed their first team, but Enrique had spells at Celta Vigo and Roma in between.

‘Lucho’, as he is affectionately known in Catalonia, won nine trophies with Barcelona as a manager in just three years. During his first year in charge, he won the treble: La Liga, Champions League and Copa Del Rey. That 2014/15 season happened to be the first season Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suárez played together, so he wasn’t short of goal-scorers in that team.

However he did begin the transformation into a post-Xavi era for Barcelona, as their midfield maestro was phased out of the team before leaving in 2015.

He left Barcelona in the summer and was replaced by Ernesto Valverde.