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Antonio Conte: Success for Italy at Euro 2016 could hit Chelsea pre-season preparations

The Blues have confirmed the Italian will join the club from next season on a three-year deal

Monday 04 April 2016 13:52 BST

(2009 Getty Images)

Chelsea today announced what everyone knew was going to happen - Antonio Conte will be their next permanent manager. The Italian has signed a three-year deal with the west London club beginning this summer.

But just how soon he gets to work at Stamford Bridge will be dictated by how Italy perform at Euro 2016 - with the difference between an early exit and a run to the final meaning 19 extra days of pre-season preparation at Chelsea for the manager.

Confirming the news, Chelsea said on their website: "He will begin work in London following his country’s participation in this summer’s Euro 2016 tournament."

It's a situation that will mean Chelsea will be hoping Italy make an early exit from the tournament in France so that their new coach can get to work.

A swift elimination is a real possibility for the Italian's who are in Group E at Euro 2016 - billed as the 'Group of Death'. They face Belgium, Republic of Ireland and Sweden for a place in the knock-out stage. Should they fail to progress, Italy's last game would be 22 June.

If Italy move into the knock-out phase, the Round of 16 fixtures take place from 25-27 June. The quarter-finals are between 30 June and 3 July, the semi-finals on 6 and 7 July and the final on 10 July.

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

A similar situation arose when Manchester United appointed Louis van Gaal while the Dutchman was still coach of the Netherlands. Holland's run to the semi-finals of the 2014 World Cup meant Van Gaal's pre-season at Old Trafford was much shorter that it could have been.

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