Chelsea could replace Antonio Conte with Marco Silva on interim basis

Premier League holders Chelsea could be tempted to offer a short-term contract to Marca Silva, should Antonio Conte fail to turn things around in the coming weeks.

The Italian head coach has overseen the Blues lose back-to-back Premier League games for the first time under his management, and anything less than a win versus West Bromwich Albion could end his tenure at Stamford Bridge.

According to The Times, Blues owner Roman Abramovich would ideally want Luis Enrique to takeover the reigns from Conte, but the Spaniard is not keen on joining the club midway through the campaign.

As a result, they could switch their interest to Silva, who is out of contract following his release by mutual consent with Watford. The 40-year-old has the ability to increase the performance of under-performing players, and it is suggested that he will fancy managing the Blues on an interim basis for the campaign.

Chelsea have fallen below the top-four positions following Tottenham Hotspur's 1-0 win over Arsenal, but they can retain their Champions League spot with a victory over West Bromwich Albion on Monday night.