Chelsea drama: Antonio Conte needs to stop threatening the club
Chelsea need clarity from their manager
Antonio Conte may be the one man standing between Chelsea and a successful defense of their Premier League crown. He needs to stop holding the club hostage. Conte must either commit to signing a new contract with the Blues or inform Roman Abramovich of his intention to leave Stamford Bridge.
Hardly a day goes by without a new story popping up about conflict between Chelsea ownership and their manager. The latest report in this series claims that Conte was miffed by the club’s lacklustre bid for Fernando Llorente. Chelsea only sanctioned a bid of £6 million which caused them to lose out to Tottenham for the Spanish striker.
No matter how you feel about that particular transfer saga, it’s obvious that Conte and Abramovich weren’t on the same page this summer. It’s equally as obvious to see that’s why the former Italy boss hasn’t agreed to sign a new deal with Chelsea. His current agreement will expire at the end of the 2018-19 campaign.
That means the Blues only have the remainder of this year to avoid going into the last year of Conte’s deal. Such uncertainty would lead to an absolute circus at Stamford Bridge. Truthfully, things are already nearing that status over Conte’s commitment to the club.
Some people might be tempted to blame Abramovich for failing to back his manager, but that’s a pretty laughable concept. It’s not as if Chelsea have been cheap in the transfer market since Conte’s arrival. They clearly purchased him enough talent to win the Premier League title last season.
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
The only person who can really put all this drama to bed is Conte himself. He needs to decide whether or not he really wants to work under Abramovich for the long haul. Most managers would kill to receive the sort of backing the Russian owner provides. Only a supremely confident (or arrogant) manager like Conte could find fault with Chelsea’s resources.
If Conte is willing to continue his relationship with Abramovich then surely both parties can agree to a reasonable contract extension. Such an act would immediately silence the vicious rumor mill churning at Stamford Bridge.
On the other hand, if he decides he isn’t satisfied with his current situation, he should communicate that to Abramovich in no certain terms. That won’t quiet the rumour mill, but it will give Chelsea’s higher-ups the chance to make concrete succession plans. Conte will not be an easy manager to replace no matter how much Abramovich is willing to pay.
Next: Chelsea may swap Willian for Muller
Antonio Conte demands completely loyalty from his Chelsea players. It’s time for him to decide whether he can commit fully to the Blues or not. It’s only fair to his players and the higher-ups at Stamford Bridge.