Reigning English Premier League champions Chelsea have announced that incumbent Italy coach Antonio Conte has signed a three-year deal with the club.
Conte will officially join the West London outfit after Euro 2016 in the summer and is expected to earn around £5 million per season.
Rumours had persistently linked the Italian to the 2012 Champions League winners, since disclosing he would be stepping down from the Azzurri following the European championships.
The 46-year-old, who enjoyed success with Juventus prior to taking the helm of the national team, expressed his delight in signing with the Blues.
“I am very excited about the prospect of working at Chelsea Football Club,” Conte told the club’s official website.
“I am proud to be the coach of the national team of my country and only a role as attractive as manager of Chelsea could follow that.
“I am looking forward to meeting everyone at the club and the day-to-day challenge of competing in the Premier League.
“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.
“I am happy we have made the announcement now so everything is clear and we can end the speculation. I will continue to focus on my job with the Italian national team and will reserve speaking about Chelsea again until after the Euros.”
Conte has been given permission to bring in his long-standing assistants in Angelo Alessio and Massimo Carrera to Stamford Bridge, along with several other backroom staff.
Chelsea Chairman Bruce Buck praised the Italian tactician and is excited to be working with the Bianconeri legend.
“Antonio Conte has a record of consistent success in his career as a manager and as a player. We look forward to welcoming him to Stamford Bridge and are confident he will find all he needs to maintain that high standard of achievement,” he said.
Conte won three successive Serie A titles between 2012 and 2014 with Juventus and also had managerial spells with Atalanta and Siena prior to joining the Old Lady.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
