Chelsea will continue to be successful even if Antonio Conte leaves the club next summer, says Pat Nevin.
The Italian has enjoyed a productive stint at Stamford Bridge, with the Premier League title returned to west London in his debut campaign.
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Conte has the Blues back in the mix to defend that crown this term, with there still a long way to go in what promises to be a keenly-contested battle for supremacy.
The former Juventus boss has, however, admitted that he will be heading home at some stage – with it reported that he could return to Serie A as early as 2018.
He recently said: “I miss it, that’s beyond doubt. Italy is my homeland, so once I have had some good experiences, formative experiences, important and life-changing experiences, I’ll be back. I don’t know when but that’s the aim.”
A sudden departure would leave Chelsea looking for another new boss, but former Blues star Nevin believes that would be no bad thing, with the club having shown that they can remain successful through regular periods of chance.
He told the Daily Star: “You kind of let these comments wash over you now.
“When you’ve been following Chelsea as long as some of us have, you know they change manager very quickly but still have brilliant managers. They seem to make good choices.
“Although Conte is very popular and I’d love him, one hundred per cent, to stay for the next five years, you just sort of shrug your shoulders and accept that this is the business we are in.
“It might change, it might adapt and you might have to go with someone else
“It would disappointing to some degree but Chelsea time and time again do that, change it and then keep on being successful.
“Personally I’d want him to stay because I enjoy learning from him and I like the guy, he’s entertaining.
“Now I wouldn’t worry about it until the end of this season and possibly even another season after that and in football that is an eternity.”
Conte penned an improved two-year contract with Chelsea in July.
Having already committed to a three-year deal upon his arrival, the 48-year-old remains tied to the Blues until 2019.