"I am very happy to have signed a new contract,"
said the Italian, 47.
"We worked extremely hard in our first year to
achieve something amazing, which I am very proud of. Now we must work even
harder to stay at the top."
The decision to sign a new contract without extending the
terms runs counter to previous comments by Conte, who had indicated his
willingness to commit to a longer deal.
Speaking in May, he
said he wanted to stay with Chelsea "for many years", adding:
"If the club give me the possibility to stay and extend my contract, for
sure I'm available to."
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Conte
achieved 'incredible success'
Conte lifted the Premier League title at the first attempt
in the 2016-17 season, winning 30 games, which included a club record 13
consecutive victories. He also guided the Blues to the FA Cup final, though
they were beaten by Arsenal.
The former Juventus and Italy manager was credited for
transforming the Stamford Bridge club's fortunes after they could only finish
10th the previous season.
A brutal training regime was part of the transformation,
as was his decision to switch to a three-man central-defensive set-up - his
preferred tactic at both Juve and Italy.
"The Chelsea fans have given me so much support since
I arrived here one year ago and it is important we continue to succeed
together," added Conte, whose team has flown out to China and Singapore
for pre-season games against the Gunners, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.
Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia added: "Antonio
achieved incredible success last season, adapting to English football very
quickly and leading us to the Premier League title.
"This new contract reflects our belief that he can
continue to deliver results both domestically and as we return to European
competition in the Champions League."
Conte
tools up for Champions League push
Conte has presided over at busy summer so far at Stamford
Bridge.
Blues have signed midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko from
French champions Monaco in a reported £40m deal, and also brought in defender
Antonio Rudiger from Roma for an initial £29m.
The Chelsea boss was thwarted in the chase to take striker
Romelu Lukaku from Everton, with the Belgium international instead joining
Manchester United in a £75m deal.
Conte has also been working hard to get players out the
door at Stamford Bridge, with striker Diego Costa and midfielder Nemanja Matic
both absent from the Far East
tour before expected moves.
Analysis
BBC
Sport's Simon Stone:
Even if Antonio Conte's improved contract is worth £9m a
year as reported, it still leaves him trailing the league's biggest earners,
Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola.
It does, however, acknowledge what a marvellous job Conte
did in winning the Premier League and reaching the FA Cup final in his debut
campaign.
He came in on far less than Mourinho, Guardiola and even
Jurgen Klopp, so given his achievements, Chelsea always felt a rise was in
order.
It is notable there is no extension to the length of
Conte's deal, although maybe it is no surprise - there have been reports of
Conte being irritated by the Chelsea hierarchy.
And when you consider that since 1991 only Mourinho and
Claudio Ranieri lasted longer than three years in the job at Stamford Bridge,
committing for an extended period seems a bit pointless.
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