The assumption that Antonio Conte would jump at the chance of joining Real Madrid has been debunked rather quickly following this morning’s reports that the Spanish giants have made Conte their primary target for their next head coach. That doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t happen eventually, but right now, it’s not looking likely.
The reasoning is two-fold as per Gianluca Di Marzio:
- Conte has a contract with Chelsea and he’s not just going to walk away from that, either in terms of responsibility or guaranteed money that he’s owed. Depending on your perspective, you can take this either as cynical or honorable, but Di Marzio does suggest that because Conte has not received any actual communication from Chelsea regarding his future, he’s not going to take the first step (i.e he’s not resigning). Conte has made it clear repeatedly in the second half of the season that he intends to continue as head coach unless Chelsea actually sack him.
- Conte is reasonably concerned that his methods would not be welcome at a club like Real Madrid. We touched on this conundrum as well when the initial rumors broke. If there’s a club where player power rules, it’s Real Madrid, and that’s no place for someone like Conte.
So, we’re back to square one. Conte remains the official Chelsea head coach. Sarri remains option number 1 (Pedulla has doubled down on those claims once again, expecting a resolution early next week), while French media push Blanc as an option B, at minimum.
— Alfredo Pedullà (@AlfredoPedulla) June 7, 2018
Another day closer to the start of the season, but no closer to actual clarity.