Antonio Conte is set to be named the Real Madrid manager. His hiring would strengthen the bond Chelsea has with the Spanish side, not weaken it.
Chelsea’s former managers going to Real Madrid is becoming more and more common. Carlo Ancelotti, Jose Mourinho, and Rafa Benitez all plied their trade at Chelsea before Real Madrid. And now, it appears, Antonio Conte is set to add himself to the list.
Julen Lopetegui’s appointment was filled with controversy over the process but many had hope that he would succeed at Real Madrid. Those hopes were quickly dashed after a quick and painful skid. Antonio Conte, having been targeted by Real Madrid before (he was still under Chelsea contract at the time) appears to be a shoo-in to become the manager of Los Blancos.
Many fans believe that this will protect Chelsea from Real Madrid. After all, did the players not supposedly fall out with Conte? So why would they want to play with him now? But the unfortunate truth is that Conte at Real Madrid is likely to strengthen, not weaken, the bond between the two clubs.
First of all, think of the most common transfer targets during Conte’s Chelsea reign. The ones most often deemed “his picks” were former players of his. And while he did not leave other clubs under such controversy, it is hard to imagine some Chelsea players would not be willing to play for him again.
And the scarier part is Real Madrid are loaded with money that they have not spent freely in recent years. Conte can throw his weight around in the market in a way that Chelsea was simply unwilling to do for him in his second year. And that means he will likely throw it Chelsea’s way.
Conte would love to have players like Cesar Azpilicueta and N’Golo Kante join him in Madrid. He would love to see Marcos Alonso come back to his youth club. Whether they opt to do that or not is another question. Real Madrid has the means and the will, and it is a hard club to turn down.
This extends to Mateo Kovacic and Eden Hazard. The former is on loan at Chelsea in part because Lopetegui had no role for him. But Conte is a much different story and would love a player like Kovacic to stay at Real Madrid. The new manager could be enough to shift the scale if there is not a buy clause.
But many are interested in what this would mean for Hazard. Many believe that Hazard would refuse to play for Conte again. That is at best a hopeful assumption.
Hazard has been linked to Real Madrid since joining Chelsea. It seemed the most likely when Zinedine Zidane was manager, but the rumors did not go away when Zidane quit. In fact, they got stronger.
That is because Real Madrid was never about the manager for Hazard. And it will not be now. Hazard may have disagreed with Conte, but he also disagreed with Mourinho. And as recent comments suggest, Hazard would have no problem playing for Mourinho again. Ultimately, Hazard (if he chooses to go to Madrid) will not leave because of who is or is not in charge. He will go because he feels like it is time.
Conte is likely to be a smashing success at Real Madrid if he can get the squad on board with his ideas quickly. Given that club’s resources and Conte’s demands, they are sure to hit the market hard in January and in the summer. Chelsea players will be first on the list and the club will need to be strong in their defense. Real Madrid is an allure regardless of manager and the best thing Chelsea can do right now is to win the players over in totality to Maurizio Sarri. Because Conte will be looking to pluck from his former club.