Chelsea are using Thomas Tuchel to reign in Antonio Conte
Antonio Conte will manage Chelsea next season
Officials at Chelsea know that keeping Antonio Conte is their most important summer priority. With that being said, they don’t want to cede too much control to the domineering manager. That’s why club officials are using the spectre of Thomas Tuchel to keep Conte’s demands under control.
Reports from England claim that club officials are laughing off the idea that Conte might leave this summer. They’re right to do so. There’s absolutely no chance that the former Juventus boss is going to leave his Premier League title-winning squad.
That doesn’t mean that there isn’t any tension between Conte and club officials though. On the contrary, the two are locked in pretty serious combat. Conte wants complete control of the club’s transfer affairs while Chelsea officials want to curtail his influence. The conflict is particularly apparent when it comes to Diego Costa’s status at Stamford Bridge.
Earlier this month, reports surfaced claiming that Conte had texted the enigmatic centre forward that his time at Chelsea was over. Predictably, Costa didn’t take the news very well. He attempted to rally support among club officials to overrule his manager.
More from Chelsea FC
- Tuchel has eyes on Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah
- Permanent move of Cobham graduate Lewis Hall to Newcastle United
- Chelsea are not pleased with the Lukaku-Vlahović swap deal
- Chelsea joins the race against Liverpool for Romeo Lavia
- Blues select Reece James as captain and Chilwell is new vice-captain
Those officials weren’t happy that Conte made such an important decision on his own. The reality that his decision robbed Chelsea of any leverage in the potential transfer also irritated quite a few people. Conte’s rash behavior will end up costing the club tens of millions.
That’s precisely why Dortmund’s curious decision to fire Thomas Tuchel came at the perfect time for the Premier League champions. His availability gave club officials a legitimate opportunity to posture as if they might have a legitimate option to replace Costa. It’s not a move the club would actually make, but he’s a big enough name to keep Conte in check.
Without Tuchel’s availability, Conte would be free to run wild at Stamford Bridge. He could make any demand in the world and Chelsea officials would be forced to give in. In essence, Conte would have the ability to acquire absolute power for himself.
Next: Chelsea plotting move for world-class attacker
Fortunately for Roman Abramovich, he has the threat of Thomas Tuchel in his back pocket. That will allow Chelsea officials to retain some measure of power in their struggle with Conte. The manager will continue to gain influence this summer, but he won’t be able to take total control of Chelsea just yet.