Claudio Ranieri backs Antonio Conte to remain in charge of Chelsea: 'I'm not convinced by his homesickness'
- Antonio Conte is starting to show the signs of having to battle on multiple fronts
- Conte opted not to extend his deal when signing improved terms in the summer
- Former Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri is confident Conte will stay until 2019
- Ranieri is adamant his compatriot is still fully content with life in west London
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte will honour his current deal by staying at Stamford Bridge until at least the end of the 2018-19 season, according to former boss Claudio Ranieri.
Conte's future appeared in doubt at the start of the season with the Italian frustrated at the club's summer transfer business, and there have been reports elsewhere that he will consider his position at the end of the campaign.
The former Juventus and Italy boss has spoken of his desire to one day return to manage in his homeland, but fellow countryman Ranieri does not feel that Conte is about to break his allegiance to the Premier League champions.
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte's current contract expires at the end of the 2018-19 season
Former Leicester and Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri does not think Conte is about to leave
'The Premier League remains the top, and I'm not convinced by Conte's homesickness,' Ranieri told Gazzetta dello Sport.
'Maybe he was expecting a different transfer campaign, but for a few years now [Roman] Abramovich hasn't been doing crazy spending.
'Manchester United and Manchester City have made great signings, so I imagine it's more draining for Antonio to be fighting on two fronts with the same players.'
Conte signed a new two-year Chelsea deal worth £19.2million in July but it did not extend his contract, merely improving his terms. It had been expected that he would put pen to paper until summer 2021 but that failed to materialise.
Conte enjoyed plenty of success in Italy and he has spoken of wanting a return in the future
The Italian was unhappy at missing out on Juventus left-back Alex Sandro during the window
The 48-year-old's summer of discontent then stemmed from his inability to lure a number of his primary transfer targets, with Romelu Lukaku, Fernando Llorente and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain moving elsewhere, while a reported deal for Ross Barkley broke down.
Juventus full-back Alex Sandro was another player he wanted, and after Conte refused to extend his contract, a fresh £60m bid for the Brazilian could be lined up to appease their manager, who has been linked with the AC Milan job.
But the form of Alvaro Morata, coupled with an impeccable start to the Champions League group stages, means Chelsea fans still have plenty of reasons to be cheerful.
The Blues can ill-afford to lose any more ground in the Premier League title race, however, with Conte's men six points behind leaders Manchester United and City ahead of their trip to Crystal Palace this weekend.
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