Gianluca Vialli Says Antonio Conte 'Can't Wait to Leave Chelsea'

Gianluca Vialli has said Antonio Conte "can't wait to leave Chelsea," per Sky Sport Italia (h/t Football Italia).

If Conte does leave this summer, former Chelsea manager Vialli believes megarich Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain could answer his ambitions, while also saying a return to the Italy national team is possible.

Vialli was speaking after current boss Conte saw the Blues beaten 3-1 by Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Sunday. The result leaves Chelsea eight points adrift of the top four and unlikely to quality for next season's UEFA Champions League.

Vialli, a former team-mate of Conte's at Juventus during the pair's playing days, believes the latter is angered by not having enough of a say in Chelsea's recruitment policy: "He can't stand that they sell or buy players without consulting him. The truth is, Chelsea would like a manager who is more of a club man."

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

Conte will naturally be under pressure after Chelsea fell 28 points behind leaders Manchester City less than a full season after winning the title to cap his first campaign in charge.

Since then, Conte has been critical of the players the Blues have added to his squad. In January, the 48-year-old told Sky Sport Italia (h/t Harry Howes of the Daily Star) he'd "rarely been given" the signings he wanted.

Conte continued to air his grievances in February, when he said the club had brought too many players last summer, according to Derek Hunter of the Mail on Sunday.

The Blues signed eight players, including centre-back Antonio Rudiger, striker Alvaro Morata and midfielder Danny Drinkwater. Yet Conte also lost centre-forward Diego Costa and vital holding midfielder Nemanja Matic.

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Conte has even questioned the resources available to him at Stamford Bridge, per Jack Pitt-Brooke of The Independent: "I have great ambition, but I don’t have money to spend for Chelsea."

It's tough to attach credibility to this argument since Chelsea are backed by billionaire owner Roman Abramovich, who has rarely been shy about investing. The Blues also added Olivier Giroud, Ross Barkley and Emerson Palmieri during the January window.

Conte may be running out of excuses in west London, but he has made it clear he's not concerned about his job, per Goal's Nizaar Kinsella:

If Conte is moved on, the man who has won league titles in two different countries would surely not find it difficult to land another top job.