Frank Lampard said Chelsea’s most important piece of business this summer is securing Antonio Conte’s future at the club. Coming from a genius, the Blues should heed his advice.
While Chelsea wrangles with Thibaut Courtois over his wages, Diego Costa over his future and any number of transfers over their terms, Frank Lampard wants them to stay focussed on their top priority for the summer: Antonio Conte. The Blues legend called Conte the man of the season, and said he would be the most important signing of the off-season
"I’m all for giving the players credit but because it was such a dramatic uplift from the year before I think you have to give him huge credit… I think he’s a huge signing for them. – ESPN FC"
Antonio Conte’s contract is inextricably linked with all those are other contracts. Mildly plausible rumours over the last month said that the club’s slow pace of transfer activity frustrated Conte. He apparently wants more money spent more quickly than has been the case. He wants his squad in place well before pre-season so he can plan accordingly and know what the late-summer needs may be.
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That is all very believable. The rumours become, well, silly when they veer into talk of Conte leaving as a result of these frustrations.
Nor is it likely would Conte leave because of the terms of his contract. He said at the end of the season that his contract should reflect his value as a manager. He is not working for the paycheck, he said, but does expect to be paid appropriately for what he has done.
How he gauges that value will be between Conte, his agent and Roman Abramovich. He may simply want to make a few pounds more than Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho and all those other managers who did not win the Premier League last year. Or he may simply want more than he was offered long before anyone expected him to win the title.
More than any player save someone like John Terry, the manager should be the source of continuity in a club. More than most managers, Antonio Conte has the vision to turn Chelsea into a dynasty and a top-to-bottom coherent organization. Signing him to an appropriately high-value and long-term contract will give Chelsea a better platform for years (decades?) of success.
Few players can offer that. None of Chelsea’s transfer targets are among those few.
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Chelsea should get in the habit of heeding Frank Lampard’s advice. He is rarely wrong, and will someday soon work in the front office. This would be an excellent time to start.