Conte’s Future Hindering Chelsea Transfers
The transfer market is open and some of the Premier League’s top clubs have already been in action. Manchester United have secured the services of Fred from Shakhtar Donetsk while Liverpool have completed deals for Fabinho and Naby Keita.
Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur have been quiet but seem set to keep intact the squad which performed well last season.
Lack of Incoming Transfers
However, the team which disappointed most out of the top six, Chelsea, are yet to make a move to improve their squad following a very poor season. The Blues are yet to be strongly linked with a move for a top player and much of the transfer speculation surrounding the Stamford Bridge club has surrounded exits rather than additions.
Both Thibaut Courtois and Eden Hazard have been linked with moves away from the club to Real Madrid. A report in the Sun newspaper has quoted Hazard as saying, “I will stay at Chelsea if the team is better than it was last season. I don’t want to stay if we are less good.”
Hazard continued, “As everybody knows, Real Madrid could interest me. But if tomorrow they don’t want me, I won’t talk about them anymore. If they want to buy me they know what they have to do.”
This is a clear sign Hazard wants to see progress from Chelsea in the transfer market this summer but with the future of the manager on the line, will the club be willing to spend money?
Managerial Uncertainty
There has been huge speculation surrounding the future of Antonio Conte at Chelsea and some of his interviews and press conferences during the 2017/18 season suggested he could be on his way out of the club.
Conte was seemingly unhappy at Stamford Bridge and many onlookers assumed he would leave as soon as the season ended. However, Chelsea defeated Manchester United in the FA Cup final and while success in the FA Cup does not make up for a bad Premier League campaign, it may have bought Conte some time.
Maurizio Sarri has been heavily linked with a move to Chelsea but despite Napoli agreeing a deal with former Chelsea manager, Carlo Ancelotti, Sarri remains contracted the to the Italian club.
The deal to break Sarri’s contract at Napoli seems more complex than first thought and terms for Conte to leave Chelsea must also be agreed before any deal with Sarri can be made. This has left Chelsea in limbo as far as their manager for next season is concerned but is also harming their transfer business.
Will any top player choose to join a club who are struggling to decide which man will take control of the team next season?
If Chelsea do not make an official announcement regarding the managerial situation at the club soon, they may fail to make any big name signings and could lose some of their key players ahead of the new campaign.