Antonio Conte has been urged to emulate Sir Alex Ferguson and spend the next 25 years at Chelsea by former Blues striker Gianluca Vialli.
The Italian arrived in English football in the summer of 2016 and, after a few early challenges, quickly got to grips with life in new surroundings. He is now looking to complete a domestic double in his first season at the helm, with the FA Cup final following on from a Premier League title triumph.
His efforts have been embraced by those at Stamford Bridge, but have also sparked talk of a possible return to his homeland at Inter or Juventus.
Willian rules out Chelsea exit
Villa, though, believes that his countryman should stay put and create a dynasty to rival that overseen by Ferguson at Manchester United.
He told Sky Sports: “I think Antonio loves the club and wants to play in the Champions League.
“There was a rumour about him going to Inter Milan, rather than Juventus, but if I was him then I would be staying a bit longer, fall in love with London, Premier League football and Chelsea and stay for 25 years like Alex Ferguson did.”
Vialli played alongside Conte at Juventus, with the pair toasting Champions League glory together in 1996.
The former left for Chelsea on the back of that triumph and has been quick to salute the work of a man who has followed in his footsteps by taking the managerial reins in west London.
'Makelele role is now the Kante role'
Vialli added on the Blues’ title success: “It’s been fantastic. To recover from a situation that wasn’t ideal, he managed to turn things around.
“He did it, especially when he made that tactical change after about seven or eight games. That really changed the season.
“Chelsea played really effective football, but also entertaining. I think they deserved the title in the end.”