Antonio
Conte cuts the figure of a "very unhappy" man, says Jamie Redknapp, as
speculation surrounding the Chelsea head coach's future intensifies.
The Italian has been in charge at Stamford Bridge since April 2016, but his
public criticism of the Blues' transfer policy - which followed after the
Carabao Cup defeat to Arsenal - has frustrated the club's hierarchy.
Redknapp, who believes Conte has been "undermined", says he cannot envision
the 48-year-old remaining in his post beyond the end of the season.
Speaking to Soccer Saturday host Jeff Stelling, Redknapp said: "I do [think
he'll leave] and it's just typical what happens at Chelsea. A manager does a
great job and then for one reason or another, they find a way to undermine
him by maybe not bringing in the players that he wants.
"He looks a very unhappy figure and even in midweek, I thought it was a very
tepid performance from them. I was expecting something special. They were a
bit unfortunate and I think when Willian went off, it affected the flow of
the game and it brought Arsenal back into it because their movement was
really good."
Conte won the Premier League in his first season in charge of the Blues,
switching to a 3-4-3 formation after a rocky start to the season, and
Redknapp says the club will "miss" Conte if he does depart at the end of the
season.
"He's unhappy. I can't see a situation where he'll be there next year, I
just don't. And he's going to have so many clubs wanting him because last
year, what he did with Chelsea - after the start they had, changing the
system, it wasn't the level of Leicester's win but it was probably one of
the best managerial performances in terms of turning the season around by a
system change, that I've seen in an awfully long time."
He added: "If they lose him, sooner or later you are going to run out of
great managers to find - you've been through them all, really - and you're
going to be going round in circles.
"It's a shame because he's a great manager and they'll certainly miss him."
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