Speaking to the Italian media, former Chelsea forward Andriy Shevchenko has offered major support for new Blues boss.
Antonio Conte will leave his post as Italy coach after this summer’s European Championships, at which point he will move to Stamford Bridge and attempt to pick up the pieces from a miserable campaign.
While a year ago, the Blues were romping towards the Premier League title, they are still in the midst of a truly atrocious campaign.
Jose Mourinho was dispatched after overseeing a remarkable decline, taking the Pensioners down into the bottom half of the table, and while interim coach Guus Hiddink has steadied the ship, he has been unable to make Chelsea a consistent force in the EPL or take them to a final.
Conte, who won the Champions League as a player with Juventus, and who won three consecutive Italian titles during his time in the Old Lady’s hotseat, could possess the quality to bring the good times back to Stamford Bridge.
He certainly does according to Shevchenko, who endured a miserable spell at the club between 2006 and 2009.
“I like him and I think he surprised many with his progress,” the Ukraine legend told La Gazzetta dello Sport [as per Four Four Two]. “He has grown tremendously as a coach: he arrived at Milan when he was young, no one imagined his potential, and probably no one thought that he would become so successful coming to Juventus after Conte.
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“Instead, Allegri was able to overcome the difficulties and start fresh. I saw the team in the Champions League; Bayern Munich eliminated them, but they played so well. Juventus are a great side created by Allegri and the club. He is one of the great coaches in Europe.”