Former Chelsea goalkeeper Mark Bosnich is confident incoming manager Antonio Conte will be afforded the time to make his mark at Stamford Bridge.
Conte will take the Chelsea reins ahead of the 2016-17 Premier League season following Italy's Euro 2016 campaign, and arrives with a winning pedigree established when he lead Juventus to three straight Serie A titles.
That record is nevertheless no certainty to grant him a prolonged tenure at Stamford Bridge, after Luiz Felipe Scolari, Carlo Ancelotti and AndreΒ Villas-Boas were swiftly shown the door by owner Roman AbramovichΒ despite enjoying success prior to their arrivals.
But Bosnich believesΒ Abramovich will show patience amid his demands for silverware following Chelsea's failure to finish inside the top four as their title defence fell by the wayside.
"I think he will get [the time to succeed]," the Australian,Β who spent two years at Stamford Bridge,Β told Omnisport.
"We don't exactly knowΒ what goes on behind the scenes when [previous] positions became untenable.
"It's always difficult for a foreign manager coming to England but he will be given the time."
Conte will join a Chelsea side still reeling from a woeful Premier League title defence but determined to wrestle the trophy back from unlikely champions Leicester City, who they host in their final game of the season on Sunday.
Chelsea's defence is the worst in Premier League history as they are set to finish no higher than ninth in the table, with Blackburn RoversΒ inΒ 1995-96Β and Manchester United inΒ 2013-14 ending their respective seasons in seventh place.
"[It was a] disappointing season but they will be back. They have employed an obviously good manager," Bosnich added.
"They have aΒ lot to prove for next season. It will be very interesting to see where they go playerwise as well - who Conte decides to sign and who he wants to stay."
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- Goal