Italian manager set to take José Mourinho's seat at Chelsea

Every time that Chelsea lose a match, the Blues are certain to be linked to a managerial replacement for Jose Mourinho until the following match is played. This time around, it's the Independent claiming that Italian national team manager Antonio Conte is the first one in Chelsea's list to fill in for the Portuguese's spot.

According to the report, Conte is set to reign over the Azzurri until the 2016 UEFA Euro and is keen to take a job at a Premier League club next summer. But if José Mourinho and his team fail to win their game against Porto next Wednesday for the Champions League and fall out of the competition, the Italian manager could be more inclined to take over Chelsea ahead of his previous timetable.

The report doesn't make it clear whether Conte would leave Italy or stay and manage both squads, but it's hard to envision Conte leaving the national team before having a go at a competition as important as the Euros. Behind in the shortlist are Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola, who hasn't signed a contract extension with the German club yet; and former Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti who's still on his sabbatical, but seems keen to return to England once it's over.

We will certainly have a bunch of great names linked to Mourinho's job while things don't turn around for José but it's very doubtful that any of these high-profile managers would take over the Blues in the middle of the season. Honestly, we may have to prepare for half a season with an Interim instead, who will do everything to keep Chelsea out of a possible relegation battle while we prepare to make a move for a top manager in the next summer.