Gary Cahill is in line to succeed John Terry as captain: Antonio Conte

New Delhi: Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has hinted that Gary Cahill is in line to succeed John Terry as captain for the newly-crowned Premier League champions. The 31-year-old defender led the Blues in every game that Terry missed in the 2016-17 season.

"Gary is our vice-captain this season. He put the armband on every time John didn’t play," Conte said.

"For sure, Gary has good prospects of being captain, but now it’s important to finish the season. To start to think about next season is very dangerous because we have different targets still to reach," he asserted.

However, Conte is yet to decide if Terry will start Chelsea's final game of the season when they host relegated Sunderland on Sunday.

Asked whether Terry will start, Conte said, "It will be a surprise. He has been very important to winning this title. For this reason, I have to make the best decision for him."

Conte also stressed on the fact that Stamford Bridge will always be home for the 36-year-old outgoing captain and he is very happy that Terry will be there to lift the trophy after the Sunderland game.

"John has all the possibilities to continue his career. We all know he prefers to play regularly and for this reason he decided to leave," Conte said wishing well for Terry's future elsewhere.

The Italian manager has a two-year contract with Chelsea and even after securing the title Conte said that he is not sure about his future at the club.

"My future will be discussed after next week's FA Cup final amid interest from Inter Milan. I have two years' contract to go," concluded Conte.