Diego Costa has put his transfer rumors to rest, telling teammates that he is committed to Antonio Conte’s “revolution” and is ready to lead the club’s front line.
Antonio Conte’s ideal set up for Chelsea’s offensive threat is taking shape. After signing Michy Batshuayi last week, Conte appears to have secured Diego Costa’s commitment amid a swirl of transfer rumors.
According to The Telegraph, Costa is not interested in Atletico Madrid’s schemes to bring him back to Spain. Costa’s return to form under Guus Hiddink, the excitement around Antonio Conte and the opportunity to rest during the summer have all invigorated Chelsea’s leading scorer.
Conte is still keen to sign Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid to be Costa’s striking partner. The Morata – Costa tandem would likely keep Michy Batshuayi out of the starting XI for much of the season. The young Belgian would see most of his action off the bench, or during FA Cup and League Cup matches.
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Batshuayi’s best opportunity for consistent full-match playing time would be to join Chelsea’s loan army. After two years at Marseille in Ligue 1, Batshuayi most needs to develop the physicality and pace required of a Premier League striker.
The most promising loan destination may be a lower-level English team, either in the Championship or the bottom half of the Premier League table. This would be a similar route as Chelsea FC striker Patrick Bamford. Bamford went on loans to lower-tier MK Dons and Middlesbrough before spells at Premier League sides Crystal Palace and Norwich City.
Antonio Conte’s philosophies on youth development and his use of the loan system are two of the open questions as he takes over at Stamford Bridge. The intricacy and discipline of his style of play requires players to be fully immersed in his system.
The Telegraph reports that Conte may use a 4-2-4 setup as a transition to his trademark 3-5-2. This transitional formation indicates that Conte is patiently shaping his squad over the long term. By the time Chelsea is ready to line up in a 3-5-2, Costa may be gone and Michy Batshuayi could be a regular in the starting XI.
The decision then is what process will most fully prepare Batshuayi – or any other young player – for their future role. Will Batshuayi excel having trained through the transition but with limited playing time, or should he develop his professional skills elsewhere and then return to a club that is already implementing Conte’s system?
Batshuayi brings honest enthusiasm to Chelsea, saying that signing for the club is “a real chance… a great opportunity… a childhood dream for me.” He wisely downplayed comparisons to Didier Drogba, focusing instead on continuing his development and becoming his own player.
An extended loan period could dampen this energy, particularly since so much of the excitement around Chelsea stems from the opportunity to learn directly from Antonio Conte.
Chelsea has had a revolving door of strikers over the past few seasons, with many high-value transfers washing out with minimal contribution to the club. Diego Costa has been the exception to that rule, leading the line as the sole man up front.
Alvaro Morata is an experienced striker who can immediately open up new options for Chelsea’s attack. Michy Batshuayi is a player that Chelsea can craft an offense around for the future, sharing the duties up front in a 3-5-2 formation.
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Managing Chelsea’s newfound surplus of strikers both on the pitch during matches and off the pitch over the next few years will be a large part of Conte’s success and legacy with the club.