The Chelsea manager has had the blues this season, with last season’s title seemingly a dim and distant memory.

Word reaches this column that Conte has been a regular Mr Grumpy at training, even with his fellow Italian staff.

Even at his media briefings he seems down, as if he would prefer to be anywhere else in the world rather than sat there talking about Chelsea.

As previous title winners Carlo Ancelotti and Jose Mourinho also found, there is a thing called ‘second season syndrome’ at Stamford Bridge and Conte is suffering from it badly.

It seems the ex-Juventus boss has had enough of all the shenanigans, coming over as a man who would happily take his £9m pay-off and go back to Italy, where their FA would welcome him back with open arms as national boss.

Alternatively, Paris St-Germain are keen on the 48-year-old Italian and with Real Madrid fourth in La Liga, 19 points behind leaders Barcelona, Zinedine Zidane is surely on borrowed time.

It is always so hard to fathom what goes wrong at Chelsea.

But it seems from right at the start, new managers are given their head, then soon after have to take a backseat when it comes to transfers.

After losing at Arsenal nine days ago, Conte couldn’t hold back, letting it be known he basically has no say in signings and sales, angering impatient owner Roman Abramovich in the process.

You can’t imagine Conte went into the transfer window thinking ‘wow, I could really do with adding either Andy Carroll, Peter Crouch or Olivier Giroud to my squad’.

Once again, billionaire Russian Abramovich and his board have made a mess out trying to bring some continuity to the club.

Could it be ‘deja blue’ for Conte?

Mourinho’s last league game at home before his dismissal was a 1-0 defeat by Bournemouth, who won 3-0 at the Bridge on Wednesday.

The Portuguese coach went after losing a Monday night game at Leicester. On Monday, Chelsea travel to Watford...

Next up, as revealed by Starsport, looks set to be Luis Enrique with ex-Chelsea fullback Juliano Belletti as his director of football.

What an introduction Enrique could face, with the Londoners entertaining his former club Barcelona in the Champions League on February 20.

It’s good he has had a break from football, as you sense, if he does get appointed, he will soon be grateful for having had a break once he gets settled at Chelsea.

SPITTING at an opponent is disgusting.

Growing up on a council estate in the Garrison town of Colchester, I was unfortunate enough to have it happen to me after being picked on by some bullies when I was nine. It’s something not easy to forget.

Despite this, there does seem something very wrong about banning West Ham’s Arthur Masuaku for six games for spitting at Wigan’s Nick Powell the day before Cardiff’s

Joe Bennett escaped with a caution for a horror challenge which crocked Manchester City’s Leroy Sane.

There is no place in the game for spitting, but nobody’s career will ever be ended by phlegm.

PHIL NEVILLE has urged Manchester United to restart their women’s team.

Well the new boss of England’s Lionesses might like to look closer to home first.

He is co-owner - along with several of his former Manchester United team-mates - of Salford, who also don’t have a women’s team.