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Being a Premier League winning manager is a poisoned chalice in current times, with the joys of lifting the trophy in May deteriorating into being replaced by a fresh face just months later being the norm in recent years. After cruising to the title last season, a former Premier League star expects it to not be quite as straight forward this season for Chelsea and Antonio Conte.
Long-term Liverpool defender and now Sky Sports pundit, Jamie Carragher, said that he'd "be very surprised if I'm sitting here in 12 months' time and he's the Chelsea manager."
Whilst their Premier League rivals have strengthened considerably this summer, it is not necessarily Chelsea's performances on the pitch that Carragher believes will put Conte's role in jeopardy.
Chelsea's move to sell Nemanja Matic to Manchester United appeared to go against Conte's wishes, which could be the case again if one of the high profile clubs linked to Eden Hazard were to make an official approach.
The Italian manager has mentioned recently that he believes this season will be the most difficult of his career and has also shown frustration at Chelsea's lack of activity in the transfer window, despite spending big on the signings they have made.
The Premier League champions have had a string of big name managers since the arrival of Roman Abramovich, many of which have not been in the Stamford Bridge dugout for too long.
The Russian billionaire is the man putting the money into the club, and he, therefore, feels that he should have an influence on many of the club's transfer deals. Numerous managers have disagreed with this stance, and they have all gone in the same direction.
Whilst this approach is frowned upon by many, Carragher added "They're not scared to get rid of a top manager or get rid of someone after 12 months, but you can't really complain. Since Abramovich came in I think they've won more trophies than anyone."
At the end of last season, Antonio Conte and Chelsea looked untouchable. The start of their title defence may heavily influence his future, but the relationship between the two parties may just be starting to show a few cracks.
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Written by Matt Button
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