THE ITALIAN’S JOB
So it’s official then. After months of knowing that Antonio Conte was going to be the next manager of Chelsea, we now know that Antonio Conte is going to be the next manager of Chelsea. The Italian has inked a deal that will see him take up the reins of gafferdom at Stamford Bridge just as soon as he leaves his current post as boss of the Italy national team … possibly in disgrace, following the Azzurri’s surprising inability to qualify from Group E at Euro 2016 due to humblings at the hands of Belgium, Sweden and Republic O’Ireland.
“Chelsea FC is delighted to announce the appointment of Antonio Conte as first-team head coach,” hip-hip-hoorayed a statement on the club’s official website Pravda, going on to trumpet that the 47-year-old has signed a three-year deal, the club is thrilled to have him board and all those other nice things they said both times they appointed José Mourinho. Conte himself was as upbeat as you might expect for a man set to trouser the thick end of £5m per year, or the thick end of £15m for six months if things aren’t going to plan. “I am looking forward to meeting everyone at the club and the day-to-day challenge of competing in the Premier League,” he cheered. “Chelsea and English football are watched wherever you go, the fans are passionate and my ambition is to have more success to follow the victories I enjoyed in Italy.”
While Conte’s credentials are second to few, this is his first foray outside of management in a country where he masterminded three Serie A titles and two Supercoppa wins for Juventus. He was also suspended for four months over his part in an obligatory match-fixing scandal, on a charge of being aware of shenanigans but not doing anything to stop them – one that he has repeatedly and strenuously denied. He is also facing a court case regarding possible sport fraud related to the same episode – which he also denies – that resumed in his absence today and is expected to last a month.
A man renowned for his occasionally volcanic temper tantrums and ability to create a siege mentality among his players, Conte is not entirely dissimilar to the man he is succeeding, give or take the few months Guus Hiddink has spent steadying Chelsea’s ship. “When Conte speaks, his words assault you,” said his former Juve charge Andrea Pirlo. “They crash through the doors of your mind.” Although the Italian is believed to be taking English classes in preparation for his arrival, it seems likely that – for a while at least – his words will have to wait patiently before being ushered through the doors of assorted players’ minds by a translator. Whether or not that lessens the impact of their assault remains to be seen.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“There is a lot of passion in football. But we must become better and more disciplined. It should never happen again” – Haugesund boss Mark Dempsey deals with the aftermath of Haris Hajradinovic’s red card for pushing his own goalkeeper in the face. “It was nothing,” sniffed the midfielder.
FIVER LETTERS
“Re: Darrien Bold on The Fiver’s mention of his beloved Bury (Friday’s Fiver letters). As every West Ham fan will tell you, Bury also deserve their place in footballing history for being the only side to lose 10-0 yet manage to sell their centre-half to the side that’s just stuck 10 past them” – Ian Sargeant.
“Happy to read that Bobby M thinks Everton can ‘financially compete’ with anyone in world football (Friday’s Quote of the Day). That is great Bob – but you are a football team not a bank, one currently struggling to keep up (all due respect and that) with Stoke and West Brom and are competing with Bournemouth and Watford. For 12th place. It is that 12th-place finish that top professional footballers dream of growing up. Nothing to worry about” – Graham Haslam.
• Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. And if you’ve nothing better to do you can also tweet The Fiver. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’the day is … Ian Sargeant.
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Football Weekly’s back, with AC Jimbo, Barry Glendenning, Simon Burnton and Paul MacInnes. Woof!
BITS AND BOBS
Claudio Ranieri is chuffed that Leicester City are keeping their heads after moving within four wins of Premier League glory. “Am I nervous? No, no, no, no,” he tootled. “I’m very calm. We believe in what we are doing. We believe it’s a magical season. We believe next season it will not be the same, so we try to do our best.”
Meanwhile, police are investigating tweeted threats made by some absolute pieces of work about Jamie Vardy’s one-year-old daughter.
Arsenal are distinctly unimpressed after Union Jack Wilshere was spotted at the scene of an incident outside a trendy London nightspot.
The Fiver can’t fathom why Neymar’s Mr 15% believes a move to PSG with his client’s €193m Barça buyout clause would be a “dream” one. Nope.
Cologne’s sporting director, grown man Jörg Schmadtke, has apologised for getting his funk on and lobbing some gum at Hoffenheim boss Julian Nagelsmann after the 1-1 draw on Sunday. “Yes, I threw it. It was a reaction. I have already phoned up the Hoffenheim sporting director, Alexander Rosen, and apologised. I am sorry,” he sniffed.
The Syrian FA is trying to steal a march on Ed Woodward. “We are open to negotiate with you the conditions required to sign [José] Mourinho after both sides come to an agreement,” read a job offer to Jorge Mendes posted on their official Twitter feed. “It is important for football in this country, at this time, to sign a world-class coach to help us reach the World Cup for the first time in our history.”
Fifa has launched an inquiry after fancy alliterative documents called the Panama Papers revealed that an ethics committee member’s links to an ex-vice-president accused of corruption-knack were far more extensive than previously known. Yup, breathe in those Alpine winds of change at New Fifa.
And Lazio have bundled Stefano Pioli aboard the good ship Fanne Uno after Sunday’s shoeing in the Rome derby.
STILL WANT MORE?
In a trailblazing break with tradition, here are 10 talking points from the Premier League weekend.
Antonio Conte is a human volcano who won’t settle for second best at Chelsea. Paolo Bandini has the inside line on the man who will bring a novel approach to creating dressing-room harmony at Stamford Bridge next season.
Serie A is trying to get its endings in early, what with Napoli tripping over again and again in the title race and Francesco Totti seemingly staring at his Roma headstone. Yup, it’s Paolo again.
He was well within his rights to pose in his undies after Real Madrid’s win at Barça changed things … even if the title isn’t one of them, writes Sid Lowe.
The Fiver assumed clubs calculate the value of a player by writing various numbers on a board, cutting off the head of a chicken and bidding the number where said headless chicken keels over, but in fact there’s a science to it rather than just South Park, explains Richard Foster.
Caitlin Murray on why building a fanbase in the USA! USA!! USA!!!’s NWSL is a head-scratcher for clubs.
Oh, and if it’s your thing … you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace.
