Antonio Conte Insists He Is Committed to Chelsea as Firing Rumors Circulate

Luis Enrique has been linked with the Chelsea job should Antonio Conte be fired, which has been speculated given the club's poor run of form.

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has insisted that he has no intention of walking away from the club as rumors of an impending dismissal continue to circulate after heavy back-to-back Premier League defeats against Bournemouth and Watford.

Former Barcelona coach Luis Enrique has been widely tipped to take over if Conte is given his marching orders in the coming weeks, but the Italian is determined to stick around.

"I've not thought for one moment of the possibility of going away from this club. My commitment and the commitment of my players is totally for this club," the defiant Chelsea boss is quoted as saying by BBC Sport ahead of Monday's clash with bottom club West Brom.

"Every single player knows we have to try to improve the results and play better. Against Watford it was totally negative," he added.

Conte is thought to have been clashing with Chelsea superiors over transfer policy for months. The title winning boss has regularly not been delivered the targets he's asked for, while the squad has been stretched to the limit with the return of Champions League football this season.

In a bid to combat fatigue, Conte even gave his players three days off to rest after the embarrassing 4-1 loss at the hands of Watford on Monday.

Whether that mini-break will revitalize the players in time to silence their critics when West Brom visit Stamford Bridge after the weekend remains to be seen.

Striker Alvaro Morata continues to be sidelined with an injury, which presents Olivier Giroud the chance to make a full debut after coming off the bench against Watford. Tiemoue Bakayoko is suspended, while Marcos Alonso, Ross Barkley and Andreas Christensen are possible doubts.