Chelsea
have confirmed that Antonio Conte will be their next permanent manager,
taking over in the summer after Italy's Euro 2016 campaign.
He will take charge of a side likely to be without European football next
season and seemingly with plenty of issues to resolve.
We take a look at five things on the Italian's to-do list when he arrives at
Stamford Bridge, and before...
Resolve John Terry's future
Chelsea look set to lose one of their most experienced and decorated players
in the summer unless John Terry signs a new deal. The 35-year-old said in
January that he will be leaving Stamford Bridge when his current contract
expires as the club is 'moving in a different direction.'
But is that the direction Conte wants to go? Speaking on Sky Sports in
February, Graeme Souness says he cannot imagine why the club would not want
Terry to stay.
"I cannot believe that John Terry will not be here next year," Souness said.
"I can't think of one reason why you wouldn't want him here. You can go and
spend all the money you want, 50 or 60 million pounds, you can buy the very
best centre-half out there, but he is not going to come into the Chelsea
dressing room and have the same influence. It would be a mistake at every
level for me if you get rid of John Terry."
There have been reports that Conte is open to keeping Terry and former
Chelsea assistant manager Ray Wilkins told Sky Sports News HQ that he thinks
the Italian 'will want to use his experience and pick his brains'.
However, if he does depart then it would leave a huge hole for Conte to
fill.
Help Hazard get back to his best
It's hard to remember many other players whose level has nosedived so
dramatically in such a short space of time. From PFA Player of the Year in
2014/15, Eden Hazard has struggled badly for form and fitness this season
and is yet to score a Premier League goal.
He also appears to have been tempted by a move away from Stamford Bridge,
saying in February that it would be hard to turn down a move to Paris
Saint-Germain.
Although interim Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink thinks Hazard can return to
his best form, Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson thinks he should be sold if the
price is right.
"I'd drop him off if I could get £60m for him. He's had one good year and
this season he's been bordering on atrocious. If you can get the money,
you'd take it all day long. You don't know if he will turn out to be a
one-season wonder and you can't take that chance."
With a contract until 2020, it seems unlikely that Chelsea will let the
Belgian leave unless they receive a substantial offer. Instead it will be
down to Conte to find a way of rejuvenating the 25-year-old and transforming
him into one of the club's top players again.
Get a grip on transfer policy
Jose Mourinho might have taken the fall for Chelsea's poor season, but the
Portuguese could point to a lack of support in the transfer window as one of
the reasons for the below-par results.
While signings were made, none of Radamel Falcao, Abdul Rahman Baba, Papy
Djilobodji or Pedro have hit the mark. The same could be said of Alexandre
Pato, who joined on loan in January and only made his debut at the weekend.
It is clear that significant changes are needed, but will Conte be able to
overhaul the squad without the lure of European football next season?
Sky in Italy reporter Augusto de Bartolo thinks the former Juventus boss
will make 'three or four' additions, among them potentially Roma midfielder
Radja Nainggolan.
"At Juventus, to protect Paul Pogba he had Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio
or Arturo Vidal. For this reason, I think Conte will try to buy a player
that will be useful for that. It could be Radja Nainggolan, from AS Roma,
who Conte admires," says De Bartolo.
Conte will also need to address the striking issues. While Diego Costa's dip
in form could not be foreseen, Chelsea should have had better back-ups in
place than Loic Remy and Falcao.
"They need to buy another forward in the summer because it can't just be
Costa," says Merson.
Give youth a chance
It might not be a short-term fix, but giving more youngsters more of a
chance might prevent Chelsea losing talented players as they did with Romelu
Lukaku and Kevin de Bruyne, both of whom are excelling after leaving
Stamford Bridge due to a lack of opportunities.
Certainly Conte will have plenty of players to work with. Chelsea have a
host of youngsters out on loan around Europe as well as the likes of Ruben
Loftus-Cheek, Matt Miazga and Bertrand Traore already in the squad.
How the Italian balances development with signings could be key to Chelsea's
future. At least by the time he arrives he might have more of an idea what
he is working with, as Hiddink has said he plans to give some of the
youngsters more first-team minutes before the end of the season.
That could help the Italian to decide who stays at Stamford Bridge and who
heads out on loan.
Look at all the loans
With over 30 players out on loan, Conte will have decisions aplenty to make
in the summer.
Will Patrick Bamford be sent out on a sixth loan? Will Juan Cuadrado be
recalled from Juventus? Is Michael Hector ready to play Premier League
football? Mohamed Salah looks unlikely to return from Italy but Victor
Moses' future will need to be resolved as it is understood West Ham will not
be turning his loan move into a permanent deal.
Like with the youngsters already at the club, it will be a balancing act for
Conte, but one thing is for sure: Chelsea can do without bringing in any
more loan signings themselves.
Perhaps seeing how Falcao and Pato have flopped will bring about a shift in
the Blues' transfer policy.
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