What’s the story?
According to Football Italia, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte could leave the club as he is frustrated with the lack of transfer activity at Stamford Bridge. The Italian manager had given the board a list of players he wanted the Blues to sign but so far the club have not made any signings.
After winning the Premier League title and reaching the FA Cup final in his debut season, Conte wants to add players to the squad so they can also compete in the Champions League as he feels the current squad lacks the depth to compete on all fronts in 2017/18.
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One of the main reasons for his frustration is because Chelsea have still not made a move for Romelu Lukaku. According to L’Equipe, the club reportedly do not want to spend in excess of £70m to re-sign the Belgian striker.
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This is not the first time Conte has been displeased with the club. Last summer saw Conte have to work with the players given to him rather than the players he wanted.
Chelsea’s lack of Champions League football made it hard to attract top players and the 47-year-old manager had to make do with the existing squad – save for the addition of N’Golo Kante.
Also read: Antonio Conte – The mad genius and the relentless quest for perfection
The heart of the matter
Sky Italia’s Gianluca Di Marzio has also confirmed that the relationship between Conte and the club is possibly beginning to crack. Conte had reportedly given technical director Michael Emenalo and director Marina Granovskaia a list of transfer targets.
Falling out with star striker Diego Costa has reportedly seen the relationship deteriorate as it put the club in a position where they would not be able to negotiate a high transfer fee. With Atletico Madrid out of contention due to the transfer ban being upheld, Costa’s future is also up in the air and the club had to go into damage control mode when Conte’s text to the Spanish striker became public.
Conte’s message said: “Hi Diego, I hope you are well. Thanks for the season we spent together. Good luck for the next year but you are not in my plan.”
What’s next?
Conte is currently on his vacation ahead of the 2017/18 pre-season. According to Sky Sports, the club confirmed that Conte would return for pre-season and that there is no friction between him and the club.
Inter Milan were also keen on bringing Conte on board for next season but that plan was scrapped after former AS Roma coach Luciano Spalletti agreed to sign with the Nerazzurri
Author’s take
Chelsea should be very careful when they tackle this issue. Although Conte may have given his word that he will return in pre-season, his managerial past suggests that he could simply walk away if he feels like it.
Back when he was with Juventus, he had returned to the club for pre-season preparations only to resign two days later, leaving Juve to appoint Massimiliano Allegri as his replacement. Should Conte walk away from Stamford Bridge, accept many other heads to roll once Roman Abramovich comes to know that Conte wasn’t given enough to work with.
