With Chelsea dithering over their managerial conundrum, the possibility of Antonio Conte remaining in place is becoming more likely the longer the saga goes on. Should that pan out, many questions will need to be answered.
Uppermost in the minds of an unexpectedly-returning Antonio Conte and his players will be “how can we work together again?” For some, strained relationships from last season will break beyond repair. There can be no chance of David Luiz, Willian, or Kenedy pulling on a Chelsea shirt whilst Conte remains.
At 31 and with just one year remaining on his contract, Luiz has to leave. The dissent the Brazilian showed during and following Chelsea’s two games in the Champions League against Roma were enough for Conte to ostracize him for most of the season with a series of niggling knocks. Napoli may have expressed an interest in the centre-back, and transfer guru Marina Granovskaia will be keen to recoup Luiz’s £22.5 million valuation.
Willian’s childish Instagram post following the FA Cup victory over Manchester United makes his time in West London untenable with the Italian at the helm. With two years remaining, the 29-year old has an estimated value of £28.8 million. Willian was, at times, Chelsea’s best player last season. The club will have no shortage of takers for his services. Even if Conte goes, so should Willian.
Kenedy was shipped out on loan to Newcastle United with the arrival of Emerson Palmieri in the January transfer window. Kenedy got on the wrong side of Conte, like Luiz, following the Roma games. He played no part in the two ties. He was, however, guilty of yawning during the inquest subsequent inquest. The Brazilian winger had a good season under the tutelage of Rafael Benitez. A permanent move to St. James’ Park could suit all parties. Kenedy still has two years on his contract and a value in the region of £9 million.
It is no coincidence that Conte’s three outcasts all hail from Brazil. Of course, that takes the story all the way back to last summer and the saga involving the Brazilian-born Spaniard Diego Costa. In a nutshell, that was the start of the problems that gave the Italian such a difficult second season in the Premier League.
Conte’s issues ran deeper than the three amigos, though. Eden Hazard found himself playing out of position and frequently substituted last season, bewildering both him and the Chelsea faithful. If Conte stays, Hazard will question whether he does the same. In pre-World Cup interviews, Belgium’s captain indicated he is waiting to see what occurs at Stamford Bridge before deciding his future.
Following Zinedine Zidane’s resignation from Real Madrid, the chances of a move to the Bernabeu for Hazard lessened. Hazard has a value in excess of £100 million and two years remaining on his contract. The question for the Chelsea hierarchy is, do they risk holding onto an unhappy Belgian for next season, whilst Conte sees out his contract? Do they hope the new manager in 2019 floats Hazard’s boat, or do they ship him out now getting more bucks for their bang?
Then, of course, there is the small matter of last season’s incoming signings. The underwhelmed Italian did not do much to make them feel particularly special. His supposed targets never materialized and he never ceased repeating he was not happy, continually ironically telling the media he was “happy to work with these players.”
Alvaro Morata, Danny Drinkwater, Davide Zappacosta, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Ross Barkley, Emerson Palmieri and Olivier Giroud were all alienated to differing degrees. None will be keen for a repeat in 2018/19. Last season’s transfer window highlight was Antonio Rudiger. Maybe he only had a decent run because he shared the manager’s name.
And what about the youth? Apart from Andreas Christensen, none were given a shot in the senior side. Those on loan showed some real quality. Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Tammy Abraham, Kurt Zouma, Marco van Ginkel and Mason Mount are good enough to at least be well-rotated squad players with Chelsea. Should he stay, will Conte utilize their potential?
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Again, in pre-World Cup interviews, Conte’s captain Gary Cahill has kept his thoughts on his club manager restrained. However, he also found himself on the bench when he felt he would be better placed on the pitch. It was a frustrating season for the England man. Fortunately, despite Conte’s doubts, he made the plane to Russia. Many still do not rate Cahill, but his work rate and effort are undeniable and that is all supporters can ask for.
As the world’s footballing attention focuses on Russia, Chelsea’s boardroom dragons will hopefully focus their attention on either building bridges with the Italian – whose only interest in the World Cup will be hoping for Brazil to fail miserably – or once again take a wrecking ball to the core business of Chelsea’s structure.
For all his stubbornness, though, there are not many managers better than Conte. Surely it would be best for all parties if the hierarchy were to kiss and make up with Conte, give him some of what he wanted last season and sit John Terry on the bench beside him. It may be a romantic, blue-tinted, speculative dream but it could work.
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But until it happens, no one will know and as Johnny Nash might say “there are more questions than answers.” It is a song that could almost replace Blue Is The Colour as Chelsea’s anthem.