IT’S been coming, but Chelsea have finally sacked Antonio Conte after months of speculation.
Having won the Premier League in his very first season in England, the Italian struggled to reach those heady heights again last term and finished fifth.
Maurizio Sarri has seemingly been lined-up to take over for weeks now – and has even left Napoli to facilitate the move.
Bizarrely, despite the sacking, Conte, 48, had been seen leading his Chelsea stars through pre-season training.
But now he is gone he is set to pocket a monster £9million to leave Stamford Bridge for good.
Remarkably, it is the NINTH time in the Roman Abramovich era a boss has been handed a monster sum to leave peacefully.
In fact, the amount Chelsea have paid outto axed bosses now stands at an incredible £89.3m, including Conte.
Jose Mourinho’s first Chelsea sacking in 2007 cost the club an outrageous £18m – with his 2015 firing an additional £9.5m.
Luiz Filipe Scolari (£12.6m), Andre Villas-Boas (£12m) and Roberto Di Matteo (£10.7m) have all cost the club more than £10m to part ways.
Meanwhile, Avram Grant, Claudio Ranieri and Carlo Ancelotti have all cost well over £5m apiece in pay-outs.
Now Chelsea look set for even more financial frustration as they will almost certainly need to pay off EIGHT of Conte’s backroom staff.
A range of Italian coaches, including Conte’s brother Gianluca, are all tipped to leave, meaning their contracts may need to be paid off.
On top of that, the Blues’ failure to make it into the top four cost the club a reported £50m.
That major blow may be one reason Chelsea opted against signing Luis Enrique – who would cost a staggering £15m-a-year.
Dates in charge: July 3, 2016 to July 12, 2018
Cost to sack: £9m
Conte signed a three-year contract in 2016 and led Chelsea to the Premier League title in his first season. But missing out on Champions League qualification last term spelt the end for the Italian, set to be replaced by Maurizio Sarri.
Dates in charge: June 3, 2013 to December 17, 2015
Cost to sack: £9.5m
Chelsea fans couldn’t wait to have their Special One back – on a four-year deal, no less – where he led the club to an impressive Premier League title win in his second season back. However, a dreadful start to 2015-16 saw him promptly sacked with the club in genuine relegation trouble.
Dates in charge: March 4, 2012 to November 21, 2012
Cost to sack: £10.7m
Club legend as a player, stop-gap boss as manager, Di Matteo did incredibly lead Chelsea to their Champions League trophy – after taking over well into the competition, in March. He was signed on a permanent basis in the summer, but was gone by November amidst a dreadful run of form.
Dates in charge: June 22, 2011 to March 4, 2012
Cost to sack: £12m
Chelsea paid a world record £13m to land AVB – but the appointment was little more than a nightmare. As the Blues slipped out of the top four in February and March, the Portuguese boss was given the boot.
Dates in charge: June 1, 2009 to May 22, 2011
Cost to sack: £6m
Chelsea’s fourth permanent manager in less than two years, Ancelotti led Chelsea to the Prem title – scoring a then-record 103 that year – and the FA Cup in his first season. However, an awful winter of 2010/11 ultimately spelt the end for the Italian, who – despite a late rally – was sacked immediately after the final game of the season.
Dates in charge: July 1, 2008 to February 9, 2009
Cost to sack: £12.6m
Scolari left Portugal for Chelsea immediately after Euro 2008 and started well. But “Big Phil” was sacked in February as Chelsea endured a rocky winter culminating in a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool and goalless draw with Hull.
Dates in charge: September 20, 2007 to May 24, 2008
Cost to sack: £5.5m
A personal friend of Roman Abramovich, Grant was given the unenviable task of replacing Mourinho, despite not holding the required coaching badges. Chelsea lost both the League Cup and Champions League finals in his sole season – finishing second in the Premier League.
Dates in charge: June 2, 2004 to September 17, 2007
Cost to sack: £18m
“Please don’t call me arrogant, but I’m European champion and I think I’m a special one”, claimed Mourinho on his arrival in London. Mourinho won the Premier League in his first two seasons and despite leading Chelsea to 64 consecutive home games without defeat, the Special One left Chelsea over reported arguments with Abramovich.
Dates in charge: September 17, 2000 to May 31, 2004
Cost to sack: £6m
“The Tinkerman” was the first manager under Abramovich and was allowed major investment in the transfer windows. However, despite that, Chelsea failed to win a single trophy under Ranieri and was replaced by Mourinho – arguably just as the Blues were starting to find their rhythm.
Antonio Conte (Jul 18) – £9million
Jose Mourinho (Nov 15) – £9.5m
Roberto Di Matteo (Nov 12) – £10.7m
Andre Villas-Boas (Mar 12) – £12m
Carlo Ancelotti (May 11) – £6m
Luiz Felipe Scolari (Feb 09) – £12.6m
Avram Grant (May 08) – £5.5m
Jose Mourinho (Sep 07) – £18m
Claudio Ranieri (Jun 04) – £6m
TOTAL = £89.3m
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