I dunno where to put this, so
Barkley lol
- Thread starter SummerOnions
- Start date
- Latest activity Latest activity:
- Status
Ouch way to feel your new signing feel welcome
Honesty is a much appreciated trait!
Really? What kind of stuff they saying? My main source of news comes from here and twitter so I've no clue
This will be the third season in a row that the current premiership champions fire their manager the season after winning the title.
Wow/
Wow/
I guess the main source of news for this site is Twitter as well so you level of cluelessness remains.
This article from today's Times is a classic club briefing - the bits I've highlighted especially. Just the same as they did with Mourinho:
Antonio Conte’s relationship with Chelsea’s key transfer negotiator Marina Granovskaia has become so fraught during this window that they often resort to communicating through Carlo Cudicini, one of the Italian’s assistant coaches.
The Chelsea head coach aimed a barb at his employers after Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final defeat by Arsenal, claiming that they were responsible for “every single player” signed since the summer, and his relationship with many of the club’s executives appears increasingly fractious.
Conte has had a difficult relationship with Granovskaia throughout his time at Stamford Bridge due to her penchant for driving a hard bargain and demanding value in the transfer market, instructions that come from the owner Roman Abramovich. The pair have clashed over a number of transfers, with Conte understood to have been particularly unhappy with the way that she handled unsuccessful negotiations to sign Leonardo Bonucci and Fernando Llorente last summer.
The situation has worsened since the sudden departure of Michael Emenalo to Monaco in November, as the technical director acted as a buffer between them. That role is now increasingly falling to Cudicini, who is being used as a sounding board by both parties as well as relaying information between them. The former Chelsea goalkeeper is an unusual figure at Stamford Bridge in that he is almost universally popular, being a trusted member of Conte’s coaching staff as well as having the ear of Granovskaia and Abramovich.
Chelsea are growing weary of Conte’s complaints about their transfer dealings and his habit of disowning players that he was instrumental in signing. While Tiémoué Bakayoko, Danny Drinkwater and Ross Barkley were club signings, it was Conte who pushed them to buy Álvaro Morata and Davide Zappacosta last summer, while Edin Dzeko and Emerson Palmieri, who Chelsea hope to sign from Roma this week, were also identified by the head coach. The sticking point for Dzeko is the Bosnia striker’s demand for an increase on his weekly wages of £160,000 and a contract until 2021, which would breach their policy of only offering one-year deals to players over the age of 30.
Chelsea are still considering alternatives to Dzeko, with Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud the latest to be discussed after his proposed loan to Borussia Dortmund appeared to fall through. The France striker fits Conte’s profile of a target man with Premier League experience, although whether his club would sanction a move across London remains to be seen. However, Chelsea did enquire about Alexis Sánchez last summer and sold Petr Cech to Arsenal three years ago.
Chelsea expect Conte to calm down after deadline day on Wednesday and refocus on football, as he has done after previous transfer windows, but there is a growing expectation that he will leave at the end of the season despite his contract running until the summer of 2019.
- Status