Chelsea eyeing up Antonio Conte for shocking return to Stamford Bridge

Chelsea are considering a second shock managerial appointment in quick succession, with Antonio Conte on a list of potential long term successors.

The Blues got rid of Graham Potter on Sunday night, with all the love and care that Roman Abramovich would see his managers depart.

In fairness, if the Russian had still been in charge of the club there is very little chance that Potter would have survived as long as he did under Todd Boehly.

The American is now having to decide on a second choice of manager in less than a year in charge, having sacked Thomas Tuchel last year in order to bring in Potter.

Caretaker boss Bruno oversaw his first match as a manager on Tuesday night, as the team played out a thoroughly dull 0-0 draw with Liverpool.

It's likely to be his last game in charge, with the west London outfit set to appoint Frank Lampard as an interim manager, just over two years after he was sacked.

The club's all time top goalscorer is only going to be boss until the summer, when they appoint a permanent boss to takeover, and it might not be the only shock.

According to the Independent, the club note Conte as a "winner who can potentially bring structure to a huge squad," and there has been initial contact, with hope of a direct meeting soon.

Conte has already been Chelsea manager. Image: Alamy

The 53-year-old was in charge of the club for two years from 2016 to 2018 and helped win them their most recent Premier League title, in the 2016/17 season.

He followed that up by winning the FA Cup the following year, but that wasn't enough to keep him in his job, as he fell out with the club in typical fashion.

The Italian then had success with Inter Milan, helping them win their first Serie A title in 11 years, ending Juventus' nine year spell as champions.

However, it is his return to the Premier League that will cause most concern amongst Chelsea fans, after his relative failure with Tottenham Hotspur.

After taking Chelsea's London rivals to the Champions League, by finishing fourth last season, it all fell apart in the current campaign.

His recent sacking came after he called out the players, following their draw with Southampton, and came after a season of some extremely dull football.