Inter Milan confirm Antonio Conte as new manager

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Antonio Conte is the new manager of Inter Milan of Serie A, the club announced on their official website on Friday. Less than 24 hours ago, Inter fired their former manager Luciano Spalletti.

"I'm sure that Antonio Conte is one of the best coaches out there. I'm certain that he'll help us achieve our objective and fulfill our mission, one which has always remained the same: to make this club one of the best in the world again," said Zhang Kangyang (Steven Zhang), chairman of the club.

Antonio Conte holds the Serie A trophy he won with Juventus in the 2012-13 season. /VCG Photo

According to the Independent, Conte signed a three-year deal with the Nerazzurri and his first-year salary will be around 10 million euros (about 11.1 million U.S. dollars) including bonuses. If Conte stays with Inter until the 2020-21 season, his pay will continue to rise.

"A new chapter in my life is beginning, I'm really excited. Through my work, I'll try to repay all of the trust that the president and directors have placed in me. I have chosen Inter because of the club it is, because of the project's sound basis and how ambitious it is. Because of Inter's history. I was struck by the club's transparency and the desire to bring Inter back to where it belongs," said Conte.

Antonio Conte holds the Premier League trophy he won with Chelsea in the 2016-17 season. /VCG Photo

Conte's coaching record in recent years was convincing enough to lead Inter. He took over Juventus in May 2011 and helped the team win three consecutive Serie A titles since then. In August 2014, Conte became manager of the Italian national team and led his country to knock out Spain at the 2016 UEFA European Championship in France to make the quarterfinals before losing to Germany in a penalty shootout.

In April 2016, Conte joined the Premier League's Chelsea and made the bold decision to change the team's formation into 3-4-3, which wrapped up the Premier League trophy for Stamford Bridge two games earlier in Conte's first season. Though Chelsea failed to defend the title, they managed to win the FA Cup under Conte in the following season.

Antonio Conte does his signature passionate roar during a match. /VCG Photo

Apparently, Inter have high expectations for Conte as the club are linked to some of the biggest names on the transfer market: Edin Dzeko and Romelu Lukaku. Fairly speaking, Conte's first year was often successful but problems would follow in the ensuing years.

Conte has been known for his passion for the game, resourceful thinking in coaching as well as his uncompromising character. When he was coaching Chelsea, he fell out with Diego Costa and David Luiz. After they won the FA Cup, Willian posted a team celebration photo on Instagram but obscured Conte.

Before he took over Inter, Conte already made his presence known – according to Gazzetta dello Sport, he asked the Nerazzurri to send Mauro Icardi away. After what happened between the Argentinian forward, his wife and Inter, it seemed like a reasonable request if Conte wanted to grab Inter's locker room in his hand.