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Antonio Conte: Former Chelsea manager named Inter Milan head coach on three-year deal

Italian manager returns to football a year after being sacked by Chelsea

Jack de Menezes

Friday 31 May 2019 07:21 BST

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Antonio Conte calls himself 'a serial winner' in his final press conference after winning the FA Cup

Former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has returned to football after being unveiled as the new manager of Inter Milan, with the Italian signing an undisclosed contract with the club to replace Luciano Spalletti.

The 49-year-old returns to management having been sacked by the Blues at the end of the 2017/18 season.

"A new chapter in my life is beginning, I'm really excited," said Conte on Inter's official website.

"Through my work, I'll try to repay all of the trust that the president and directors have placed in me.

"I have chosen Inter because of the club it is, because of the project's sound basis and how ambitious it is. Because of Inter's history.

11 facts about Antonio Conte

Show all 11

1/1111 facts about Antonio Conte

11 facts about Antonio Conte

FACT ONE

Conte has managed Arezzo, Bari, Atalanta, Siena, Juventus and the Italian national team

2009 Getty Images

11 facts about Antonio Conte

FACT TWO

In his first job at Arezzo he was sacked over poor results, reinstated later in the same season, but oversaw relegation to Serie C.

2009 Getty Images

11 facts about Antonio Conte

FACT THREE

Conte impressed in his early managerial jobs at Bari and Siena, getting both sides promoted to Serie A during his spell in charge.

2010 Getty Images

11 facts about Antonio Conte

FACT FOUR

That earned him the job at Juventus where he won three Seria A titles in the three years he was in charge. He also won two Supercoppa titles and was named Serie A coach of the year in all three of his seasons in Turin.

2013 AFP

11 facts about Antonio Conte

FACT FIVE

In 2012 Conte was suspended for 10 months, later reduced to four, for his alleged failure to report two incidents of match-fixing while in charge of Siena.

2014 Getty Images

11 facts about Antonio Conte

FACT SIX

Midfield legend Andrea Pirlo said of Conte: "I am extremely lucky I met Antonio Conte, I had so many coaches to compare him too, and he is the one who surprised me the most. I was expecting a good coach, but not that good."

2011 Getty Images

11 facts about Antonio Conte

FACT SEVEN

Conte started his playing career at Lecce but it was with Juventus that he made his name. With over 300 appearances he won five Serie A titles, a Champions League medal in 1996 as well as numerous other cups.

11 facts about Antonio Conte

FACT EIGHT

On the international stage, he was a part of the Italian teams that reached the finals of the 1994 World Cup and Euro 2000.

11 facts about Antonio Conte

FACT NINE

Italy and Juventus legend Gianluigi Buffon said of Conte: "The secret of our success is the ambition our coach has. Conte has brought a new mentality to the club. He has pushed us to sweat, to find strength and to undergo hard work in order to cancel out the last two disappointing campaigns."

2013 Getty Images

11 facts about Antonio Conte

FACT 10

Conte was appointed as Italy manager following a poor showing from the Azzurri at the 2014 World Cup. So far, so good, with Italy topping their Euro 2016 qualification group ahead of Croatia, Norway, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan and Malta with a record of seven wins and three draws. At this summer's tournament in France they have been grouped together with Belgium, Republic of Ireland and Sweden.

2015 Getty Images

11 facts about Antonio Conte

FACT 11

Conte is not afraid to go toe-to-toe with fellow managers. In a row with former Chelsea interim-boss Rafa Benitez, the pair became involved in a war of words over whether Juventus or Napoli had spent more on players. This is what Conte said: "We have invested 25 million euros in our team, they have spent more than 100. They have spent in one year what we have spent in three, but they are 17 points behind us and out of Europe. People need to get their facts right and not spread misleading messages. I hope Benitez will check his calculations."

2013 Getty Images

"I was struck by the club's transparency and the desire to bring Inter back to where it belongs."

Inter announced the dismissal of Spalletti on Thursday, paving the way for Conte’s appointment on what is understood to be a three-year deal on around €10m (£8.8m) in his first year plus bonuses, with that base salary increasing if he remains for the 2020/21 season.

Conte spent two years at Stamford Bridge, winning the Premier League in his first season and the FA Cup in his final match in charge in May 2018.

Spalletti was shown the San Siro exit after the Nerazzurri finished fourth in Serie A this season, 21 points behind champions Juventus.

Ex-Italy boss Conte will be charged with closing the gap on his former side, which he led to three league titles in three seasons as manager between 2011 and 2014.

Antonio Conte has been named Inter Milan manager after replacing Luciano Spalletti (AFP/Getty)

"I'm sure that Antonio Conte is one of the best coaches out there," said Inter president Steven Zhang.

"I'm certain that he'll help us achieve our objective and fulfil our mission, one which has always remained the same: to make this club one of the best in the world again."

Additional reporting by PA

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