Antonio Conte would be a “big loss” for Chelsea if moved on in the summer, says Graeme Le Saux, with the Blues needing to end their sack culture.
Premier League title success has been enjoyed at Stamford Bridge on a regular basis in recent years, but no boss has been given time in which to establish a dynasty.
Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Roberto Di Matteo were all moved on shortly after landing major honours, with mounting speculation suggesting that Conte will soon go the same way.
Le Saux, though, believes that the Blues need to establish stability and continuity if they are to continue challenging for big prizes in the future.
The former Chelsea defender told Betfair: “To be fair, Chelsea have still been very, very successful even though they’ve had a high turnover of managers, but it doesn’t mean I agree with that because I think the nature of sport is that you can’t consistently win the league every year, so managers need time to build something over seasons not just one season.
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“In this climate every manager is only as good as his last six games and if you have a bad six games you’re out of a job and if you have a good six games you get another six games so it’s a very intense high turnover industry at the moment.
“My worry is that players or coaches don’t really ever put down any roots and that for me isn’t good for the long-term future of any club.”
On the reports suggesting that another change in the dugout could be on the cards, Le Saux added: “Conte would be a loss to Chelsea and I’ve really enjoyed him coming to the Premier League.
“I think he’s brought knowledge and even entertainment and he’s the first manager to win the league playing with a back three and wing-backs and from that point of view he’s been a fantastic asset.
“If he was to leave England I think it would be a big loss to the Premier League.
“That’s what all the talk is about, not if but when, but we’ll obviously wait and see but from his point of view he’s going to want to prove on a weekly basis to all those people who have been saying he’s going to leave that he continues to be a winner who can get the best out of his team.”
Conte is contracted to Chelsea until 2019 and has spoken of his desire to honour that agreement amid the ongoing uncertainty surrounding his future.
