It looks like former Juventus coach Antonio Conte will be handed the tough task of managing Chelsea next season. The Blues are looking for a manager who can deliver from the first season and Italy’s boss could be the man. He enjoyed great success in Italy both as a player and manager. He brought Juventus back to where they belonged, the top of Serie A but with no experience outside Italy, is he the right man for Chelsea?
Conte is a strong hard-headed man. He knows how to manage his dressing rooms, particularly the big heads and how to get them to perform week in week out. He managed to turn things around at Juventus in his first season by winning the league and he did so two more times in the two seasons that followed. He decided to leave Juve due to a lack of ambition and funds. At the bridge, he will definitely not face that problem. Club owner Roman Abramovich will gladly open his wallet and splash money in hopes of returning to the summit of the Premier League and competing on a European level.
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One of the first signings of Conte at Juventus was the free transfer of French midfielder Paul Pogba. Under Conte, Pogba was able to become one of the best midfielders around the world and it would not be a surprise if the player decided to follow his manager back o the Premier League. Besides Pogba, Conte has a big list of names that can strengthen the Blues including Roma midfielders Miralem Pjanic and Radja Nainggolan and his former player Arturo Vidal. The Italian will definitely focus on bolstering his midfield if he is to bring the 3-5-2 to Stamford Bridge. In this case, Nemanja Matic and Eden Hazard may have to start looking for jobs elsewhere.
Chelsea could also go after PSG striker Edinson Cavani to bolster their attacking line and at the back Milan’s 21-year-old defender Alessio Romagnoli is also on Conte’s shortlist as John Terry sets to leave. Another name for the back-line could be former Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen. The budget is definitely not a problem as Conte will be handed £150m to spend on new names.
Chelsea are still assessing their options, they could stick to Guus Hiddink or sign one of Jorge Sampaoli, Max Allergi or Diego Simeone but Conte remains their best option especially since his character allows him to stand in the way of Rowan Abramovich’s interference in the team. With Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, Conte at Chelsea and potentially a new manager at Manchester United, the Premier League is likely to return to its good old days.
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