Antonio Conte has delivered a parting statement as he leaves Chelsea following two years in charge.
The Italian joined prior to the 2016-17 season, piloting the Blues to the Premier League title in his first year in charge.
His second campaign was to be an entirely different tale however, and a series of bad results accompanied dressing room strife and the termination of his contract was confirmed by the club last week.
Replaced by former Napoli manager Maurizio Sarri, Conte released a statement regarding his time at Chelsea:
I would like to thank all of my friends at Chelsea Football Club for their hard work and support over the past two seasons which enabled us to win the Premier League and FA Cup together,
To the players, whose talent and commitment was so important to our successes, I thank them for everything. It has been a pleasure working with them every day.
To my staff, who always worked so hard, I must say thank you and well done for their professionalism and dedication throughout.
I have enjoyed my time in England and London so much and I want to thank the Chelsea fans who have been amazing to me and my family.
Conte joined the West Londoners from the Italian national team, where he had spent two years following a three year stint at Juventus.
The statement went on to say:
It was fantastic for me to be able to share my emotions, passion and enthusiasm throughout two unforgettable seasons with these amazing Chelsea supporters, who will always stay in my heart.
I hope Chelsea will continue to be successful and I wish everyone well for next season.
I have made many memories during my time with Chelsea, which I will take with me into my next challenge.
Conte will perhaps be remembered best of all for his 3-4-3 tactical switch early in the 2016-17 season, which many credit with being the defining move of the title-winning campaign.
The 48-year-old’s final game in charge was the FA Cup final, where his team beat Manchester United 1-0 to lift the famous trophy.
