Chelsea have denied reports that manager Antonio Conte is set to leave the club, tellingSky Sports New HQthat new rumours over the Italian's departure are nonsense.
Conte was appointed manager in the summer and took charge after Italy's Euro 2016 exit. He has seen mixed results from his first seven games, having won his first three. A draw and two losses followed, but he seems to have gotten things back on track for now with a change in formation and a 2-0 victory against Hull City before the international break.
Reports that Antonio Conte set to leave Chelsea are "absolute nonsense". Conte preparing team for Saturday's Leicester game as normal #CFC
Several leading bookmakers moved tosuspend betting on Contegetting the sack on Thursday, following a flurry of bets placed by punters who believe that he would be the top flight's second sacked manager of the season,in the wake of Swansea getting rid of Francesco Guidolin.
However, the club distanced themselves from the rumours, and have let Sky know that there are no such plans.
The manager is said to have trained his squad in the usual fashion on Thursday, as he looks ahead to welcoming Premier League champions Leicester City to Stamford Bridge on the weekend.
Other reports claim that Conte is unhappy with Chelsea's inability to sign the players he wants for his team. It was said that the 47-year-old had discussions with owner Roman Abramovich, and it was further stated that the Russian held late-night emergency talks with members of the club's board after their 2-1 loss to Liverpool.
Chelsea have since confirmed that no such meeting was held. It certainlyseems like they will be placing their faith in Conte, who is a proven winner, having won three consecutive league titles with Juventus a few years back.
Moving in swiftly to calm speculation into Conte's future is a great gesture from Chelsea. In doing so, they have allowed the fans to relax again and enabled the manager to continueworking in a comfortable environment as he looks to get results back on track.