Antonio Conte is winning the battle for power at Chelsea
Chelsea are desperate to keep hold of Antonio Conte
Antonio Conte may not have received the financial backing he wanted this summer, but that is all about to change. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is ready to sanction two big money moves in January to keep Conte at Stamford Bridge for the long haul.
Reports from England claim the Blues are ready to make sizable winter offers for Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez and Juventus defender Alex Sandro. The total cost for that star duo would likely exceed £100 million at the very least. Much of the total cost would depend on just how agreeable Arsenal would be in sending their talisman to a Premier League rival.
No matter what, Abramovich is sending a clear signal that he’s ready to cede some power to Conte. The two clashed this summer as the former Italy boss argued strongly for Chelsea ownership to spend big money to equip his squad to defend their Premier League crown. By Chelsea standards, the summer transfer window was pretty quiet other than the purchase of Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid.
Conte was clearly disappointed over the club’s lack of transfer activity. That’s one of the reasons that he did not elect to sign a new contract with Chelsea this summer. Once January arrives, Conte will find himself halfway through the three-year deal he signed when he took over the club. The ticking clock on his contract has Abramovich and the rest of the higher-ups at Chelsea starting to feel the pressure.
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That is one of the two major reasons they’re ready to spend big to strengthen the squad in January. Abramovich is smart enough to understand that Conte is one of football’s brightest minds. Replacing him would be very difficult and very expensive.
The other reason Abramovich is ready to spend in January is because he can plainly see that Chelsea are trailing Manchester City in terms of top end talent. Pep Guardiola has City playing beautiful football. Chelsea fans saw the City machine up close and personal at Stamford Bridge in their 1-0 defeat to Guardiola’s squad.
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Add it all up and this January becomes a very important month for Chelsea. They’ll need to invest heavily in their squad if they want to compete with City for a Premier League title or keep Conte at Stamford Bridge for years to come. Adding two stars like Alexis Sanchez and Alex Sandro in the winter window would go a long way towards accomplishing both lofty goals.