Abramovich facing biggest decision of Chelsea tenure - but world-class Conte has nothing to lose

The club's most recent annual report showed they actually made a profit from player sales but lagged behind several clubs in terms of player investment, despite having been able to spend lavishly in the past.  

Chelsea are already missing out on transfer targets in the face of fierce competition from the two Manchester clubs, but they could miss out on more if they fail to finish in the top four this season. A failure to achieve a Champions League spot may see players start choosing other destinations ahead of the west London club.

Furthermore, Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois's contracts are up for renewal. Courtois will have talks this month on a new deal but he might want to wait to see who his manager is and how the club performs over the remaining few months of the 2017-18 campaign, while his friend and countryman Hazard is likely to be thinking the same way. 

Courtois has 17 months left on his contract and will likely be sold in the summer if he fails to renew and pushes for a move, with the goalkeeper having once again admitted this week that his heart remains in Madrid along with his family.

Chelsea need to find a way of bringing people together and although the club's players no longer have a direct line to the board since the club legends John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic left, they risk being part of the problem if they can't rally around their manager. 

Luis Enrique is thought to be the frontrunner should Conte leave but these claims have been repeatedly denied by club officials. Ex-Chelsea and Barcelona star Juliano Belletti may also get a director of football-type role, with Michael Emenalo having departed after 10 years at the club. 

However, the jury is out on whether they would survive the problems that Conte has faced or even whether they will be better than their predecessors. 

Abramovich is faced with big decisions with a new £1 billion stadium on the way but it isn't looking like Conte will be there to break it in, as he did for Juve when they moved into the Juventus Stadium. 

Chelsea need stability not only now but in the mid- to long- term future, with trophies getting harder and harder to win on comparatively smaller budgets to some of their rivals. 

For Conte's part, he will continue to stand calmly on the sidelines, safe in the knowledge that his future is much clearer than that of his employers.