Antonio Conte puts to bed any talk of leaving Chelsea and remains focused on hard work.

Antonio Conte has put to bed any recent speculation of his immediate future as Chelsea's head coach in his press conference ahead of today's game at Crystal Palace. 

I am so glad that the international break is over for two reasons. Firstly, we do not have to put up with being forced to watch Gareth Southgate attempt at leading an England team with Jordan Henderson in it which is bad enough having those two involved and secondly, because of all the crap that comes out of the media regarding the futures of some of our biggest stars.

One story that has remained constant for the last two weeks has been the speculation regarding the immediate future of Antonio Conte. Now it's worth noting that most of this comes after a disappointing performance and result at home to Manchester City two weeks ago.

According to the media Conte had become a target for AC Milan who are now backed by wealthy owners looking to re-establish the team at the top of Serie A and try and emulate the success we were so used to seeing.

Then, this past week, we had heard from Claudio Ranieri the ex-Chelsea manager and the man that led Leicester City to the impossible dream of winning the Premier League title two seasons ago. He didn't believe the talk of a return to Italy for our head coach anytime soon but did claim that he was unhappy with the Chelsea board.

Any Chelsea fan worth their salt for having any knowledge of the game and of our football club would have to agree that there probably was some real substance to the claims made by the Italian. We have seen targets come and go for three transfer windows now despite our incredible title success last season coupled with a stronger looking squad this time around in my view.

One thing did overshadow our victory last season and that was the fact that our manager suffered during the course of season because he did not have his family with him here in England. Coming to a new country, a new culture and taking over one of the biggest clubs in the world has all kinds of pressures outside of the pitch and it had to be a lonely situation for him at times during the course of the season.

So moving forward to yesterday, having to wait two weeks to speak in an official capacity and to read all sorts of reports about his future, the boss was more than willing to answer. When asked of the speculation he said:

"A situation I want to clarify is that my family stay with me here, not in Italy. My daughter is going to school here in Cobham. I live in Cobham, we have a house.

For me, to have my family with me is very important. Last season, honestly, I suffered a lot because when you arrive in a new country and you are alone and know that your family don't stay here, it is not simple.

This season, I am very happy because they are with me and life and for us it is a fantastic experience. I think that this experience for my daughter is incredible and a great gift that I am giving her.

Last season was difficult because, when you are alone, there was only the work, but now I am driving. Now there is my job and when I go to my house, with my daughter and wife, we try also to take the car and visit this area and sometimes to go to London, Kingston or to discover a new restaurant. Yesterday with Carlo (Cudicini), we went to a Brazilian restaurant.

My father, his work was with a car, to rent cars and I grew up with a car and to drive. For me, it is easy to drive here. I just have to be focused and to stay on the left.” - Source: The Telegraph.

It's safe to say there is so much rubbish written in the press these days especially when we have these international breaks. I guess people get bored of writing the same about England that they want to focus on someone like Conte after a bad performance.

One thing that has always struck me about Antonio Conte from the first moment that he arrived here and right up to yesterday, that's the fact that he is open and honest. He is someone that does not shy away from any issues but remains calm, focused on sending the right message. He is someone who takes pride in his work and will continue to work harder than ever with his players to put things right.

People can say what they want but Antonio Conte is here to stay for the next few years at least.