Championship manager emerges as surprise candidate to replace Conte at Chelsea

According to a report by Evening Standard, Chelsea have placed a target sign upon Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic, as their search to find Antonio Conte’s successor intensifies. The fiery Italian may have steered us to an FA Cup win by beating arch-rivals Manchester United but that may not stop the management from finding a replacement.

We endured a poor season in the Premier League and eventually finished outside the Champions League qualification spots. While winning the FA Cup does account for something, it does not seem to be enough to keep Conte at Stamford Bridge.

Evening Standard has also named Napoli manager Maurizio Sarri as a favourite to land the Chelsea job but it looks like Jokanovic could be a strong contender for the same.

The Fulham manager has exceeded expectations with the Cottagers in the Championship. Despite starting the season on a slow note, Fulham managed to spark a late resurgence, which helped them secure a playoff spot.

They will face Aston Villa next weekend to grab their place in the English top-flight but regardless of how that turns out, Chelsea are expected to make a move for him.

What has helped Jokanovic stand out is his ability to build a strong team despite being on a shoe-string budget. At a time when the likes of Wolverhampton Wanderers splashed eye-watering amounts of money to put together a strong team, Jokanovic’s work is commendable.

A manager like him could certainly work wonders at Stamford Bridge next season.