Chelsea FC have a unique relationship with their managers ever since the takeover of the club by the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. The acquisition of the club by the Russian businessman in 2003 changed their fortunes for the good. His passion for winning meant he was willing to spend lots of money to make it happen.
However, judging by the constant managerial changes one can imagine he is not one with a lot of patience. A new manager is signed almost every two seasons and he isn’t hesitant to show the door while they are still contracted. The managers would no doubt be taking a bulky pay package at the end of their term. Some of them didn’t even last a full season in charge of the team.
The famous Brazilian Luiz Filipe Scolari and the not-so-special Portuguese Andre Villas-Boas are some of the names that spring to mind in this scenario. Roberto Di Matteo probably knows how hard is it to please everyone at the club after being sacked a few months after winning the prestigious Champions League for the first time in the club’s history.
The latest casualty of the policy is the eccentric Italian manager Antonio Conte. He had a terrific first season in charge of the club where he won the League and also made a record, winning 11 consecutive league games. The team failed to match the success in his second season. They won the FA Cup but finished fifth in the league which means no Champions League football for the upcoming season. And with reports of backroom unrest, unhappy players and owner, there was only going to be one winner.
Maurizio Sarri is the new man in charge for the 2018/19 season. He is already in a difficult situation with the future of the club’s best player uncertain. With the transfer window in England closing before the start of the season, it could be a very busy few days indeed for Chelsea and all the Premier League clubs involved.
Will he last the length of his contract? It is a difficult question to answer. As for now, it is worth mentioning that at the end of the day fans won’t be moaning too much as long as the silverware keeps coming. Managers come and go but the owners stay in this case.
It has been a strange summer at Chelsea. It took until July for the Blues to sack Antonio Conte, and replace him with Napoli’s Maurizio Sarri. Since then, Jorginho has been the only major signing, but it could be a busy couple of days at Stamford Bridge as the transfer window draws to an end.
It was a surprise for many that it took so long for them to sack Conte. It was clear for much of last season that he was unhappy in London, and was looking to leave the club. He had fallen out with the board over transfers, and even victory in the FA Cup Final over Manchester United didn’t look like it would be enough to keep him in the job.
One of the reasons for the delay was that Chelsea were unable to agree a deal to make Sarri manager. This wait meant they fell behind slightly as far as transfers were concerned. Jorginho followed Sarri to Stamford Bridge, but there haven’t been any other notable movements. Robert Green has joined on a free transfer, but he will be third choice goalkeeper at best.
The Italian took charge of his first competitive game in charge of the Blues on Sunday, and he saw a poor performance from his side result in a comfortable 2-0 win for Manchester City.
There are likely to be a couple of exits before the window shuts on Thursday. Thibaut Courtois is almost certain to complete a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid, while Eden Hazard and Willian have both been linked with moves away. There are also question marks around the future of squad players such as Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who could leave on loan before the window shuts.
Let’s wait and see what happens next.