Antonio Conte’s Italy side were knocked out of the Euro 2016 tournament recently, as they lost to World champions Germany on penalties, in a rather boring encounter. The former Juventus manager’s team looked impressive in the competition while they were part of it, but were unable to go beyond the quarter final stages. This would have been a huge disappoint for Conte, who was looking to win the tournament and then come to England and take over Chelsea.
However, with his plans for the Italian national side not working out after a positive start in the competition, the master tactician will look ahead at the job he has been allotted at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues had a really poor season and it is time for things to change, with Conte looking to add more quality players to his already existing squad, with quite a few players possibly expected to leave the club as well.
The west London outfit have been linked with a lot of top players in recent times and it will be interesting to see whether such moves go through or not.
One such player, who has been linked with a move to the club now is Belgian international Axel Witsel. The 27 year old midfield superstar was quite impressive for his national side, during the course of the Euros, though his team eventually lost to 3-1 Wales and were eliminated from the competition.
The player was on the verge of completing a move to Goodison Park which would break Everton’s transfer records, though their domestic rivals Liverpool were also linked with a move, apart from Chelsea. Serie A giants Napoli were also keen on a move, though his next destination is still not looking certain yet.
The Zenit Saint Petersburg man made a total of 41 appearances for the Russian club in the previous campaign in all competitions and scored 6 goals with a couple of assists to his name. He is a solid looking midfielder, who plays more or less at the heart of the midfield.
He was also played on the right wing at times in the previous campaign and will give Conte an additional option, if the need arises. The player is quite focused and is quite smart with all the experience that he has of playing at the top level.
He is a good passer of the ball and is good in the air as well, when going into challenges. His dribbling ability will be an asset to the team as well and those few crucial goals can matter to the team’s confidence as well.
However, his tackling is not the best and will have to work on that. Conte is considered a defence minded coach, though his Italy side did attack well at times, as showcased by their performances in the Euros.
A high quality player who can contribute to the attack and fall back to help out the defence as well, Witsel would make a superb buy, if Chelsea can steal him away from their rivals.