Since Conte refused to resign, Abramovich was forced to take action.

The British media widely believe that Conte will be sacked immediately after the humiliating 1-4 defeat against Watford. This was also the third loss in the reigning Premier League champions' last four matches.

Abramovich will decide Conte's future.

However, 24 hours after the Italian strategist challenged the Chelsea board to sack him, the top brass at Stamford Bridge remained inactive.

Sources within Stamford Bridge say that Chelsea officials will meet today (February 7th) to discuss Conte's future.

The 48-year-old manager's decision on whether to stay or leave will be decided after this unusual meeting.

Express further reports that billionaire Abramovich will not be attending, but all his comments will be conveyed through the director, Marina Granovskaia.

In recent days, there have also been rumors that Chelsea's management has begun approaching Luis Enrique and Ancelotti, but both coaches are unwilling to take over the team at this turbulent time.

Chelsea players have three days off after their defeat at Watford.

Instead, Enrique, like Ancelotti, hopes to start working from the new 2018/19 season. This puts Chelsea in a dilemma, because if they sack Conte immediately, they will be forced to appoint an assistant as interim manager until the end of the season.

In other news, Conte unexpectedly gave the entire team three days off from training. According to him, the players were showing signs of fatigue due to overwork and constant strenuous matches during the Christmas and New Year period, leading to numerous injuries.

Therefore, he decided to give his students more time to rest before they return to training on Friday (February 9th).