Former England manager Fabio Capello believes current Italy coach Antonio Conte will be the next Chelsea manager as the 46-year-old has already begun preparing for the role.
Conte has been widely tipped to replace interim boss Guus Hiddink at Stamford Bridge in the summer.
The Italian, who has managed a host of Italian clubs including Juventus, Siena, Atalanta, Bari and Arezzo, is already getting ready for life at Stamford Bridge according to fellow compatriot Capello.
”Conte is preparing for Chelsea,” Capello told Fox Sports Italia.
”He has the time to arrive and train Chelsea in the best way, as this is an important club.
”I think the most important thing will be the team he is able to put on the field. He needs defenders and there aren’t that many around.
”His communication with the players will also be fundamental. I myself had a difficult experience in Russia where I always had to speak through a translator.
”It was not easy, because the players always expect that extra word from the coach, the decisive statement to let you understand or change something.”
Since Jose Mourinho’s departure in December, Guus Hiddink has guided the Blues to an 11-game unbeaten run in the Premier League, and though this streak has brought only five wins, Stamford Bridge has seen it’s typical air of stability come back.
The Dutchman has tightened what appeared to be an ageing and ramshackle defence earlier in this season, having only leaked 11 goals in their last 11 league fixtures, firing double that amount beyond their opponents in the same time frame.
Nevertheless, Capello has identified the defence as an area that Chelsea need to rebuild, and with Branislav Ivanovic and John Terry’s powers appearing to be on the wane, Roman Abramovich will want to appoint a man with defensive nouse to handle the considerable financial muscle that the Russian can provide.
Having won Serie A three times in his time as Juventus manager, with the 2013/2014 title coming at the cost of only two defeats in the league, Conte’s pedigree appears to fit the bill for the role at Stamford Bridge.
However, if Chelsea continue to prosper under Hiddink as they have done in recent weeks then Abramovich may have already unwittingly found the Blues’ next boss, and may need to use his financial clout in a way he previously did not anticipate.
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