Antonio Conte’s men secured their first ever victory under their new manager as they defeated RZ Pellets by three goals to nil. It can be said that this was a must win game as after that two-nil defeat against Rapid Viena, the side was left humiliated. Thanks to the strikes from the youngsters, namely, Traore, Loftus-Cheek and Chalobah, the side came back to the winning ways.
It is fair to say that Chelsea are going through a transition stage, and to be perfectly honest, Conte is the perfect man to help the side in this phase.
Soon after the arrival of Antonio Conte was announced, the players from Serie A were quickly linked with the Stamford Bridge outfit, but the links remained a rumour. Radja Nainggolan was touted as the first signing of the manager, but the side bought N’Golo Kante, which is a fair and square deal. Besides Kante, the manager has bought the former Marseille striker Michy Batshuayi to compliment Diego Costa.
Not long back, but at some point last month, the Blues launched an audacious £32m bid for the Valencia midfield maestro Andre Gomes, but the Spanish side rejected the bid saying that the player is worth more than what the Blues offered.
Now, after almost a month, Valencia have reached an agreement to sell the aforementioned player to the fellow Spanish side Barcelona. There has been no official confirmation about the fee, but Sky Sports have reported that both the sides have settled down on £41.7m. That might come as a shock, as Barcelona were never considered as the favourite party in this transfer saga.
There is no doubt that Gomes is a fine player, but did Chelsea miss out on an opportunity to sign him?
Well, to be crystal clear here, I have mixed feeling about it. Looking at the current Chelsea squad, there is hardly any position where they do not need an upgrade. Gomes, who helped his side to win the Euro 2016 title is one of the finest young talents in the industry. The player is capable of operating the game from almost every midfield position and that could have made him a perfect buy for Chelsea.
Of course, in the defensive area, they have signed Kante, and as a central midfielder they have Fabregas and that’s it. The side really needs and attacking midfielder to complete the pack. There was a possibility that after buying him, Fabregas could have shifted at the attacking area or Gomes himself could have been deployed there.
Conte does not have many options for centre besides Fabregas, Matic and Kante. Of course, they have Cuadrado now, but the Columbian winger is more effective on the flanks rather than playing in central areas. Gomes, on the other hand, could have been a perfect match for Chelsea. Talking practically, where will Gomes fit in Barcelona. Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic are irreplaceable that means that Luis Enrique will have to rotate Gomes with Iniesta.
Andre possesses a great work rate and that is perfectly suitable for playing in the Premier League. With Manchester United chasing Paul Pogba, Chelsea could have had grabbed the player by cashing in some more capital. I really think Chelsea needed Gomes at this moment of time and missed out a great oppurtunity to seal a quick deal for the Portugal playmaker.