With the January transfer window on the horizon, more and more rumours are swirling around Stamford Bridge. According to Calcio Mercato, Antonio Conte is looking to further imprint his mark on the team by signing either Kostas Manolas or Antonio Rudiger from AS Roma for a fee of £34.4m (€40 million).
The Blues are on a sizzling run of form after Conte’s decision to switch to a 3-4-3 formation which has resulted in six wins on a trot without conceding any goal, thus defensive reinforcements seem to be a premature talk right now. Yet the only obvious concern is finding a replacement for Chelsea legend John Terry, who is nearing the end of his playing career at the age of 35. Grapevines suggesting he might move to China to secure regular playing minutes. However, with Kurt Zouma, a Chelsea starlet touted to be Terry’s successor nearing full fitness, Conte’s search for another centre-back appears to be a hindrance than a help.
This also unwraps another question. Is the 47-year old really contented with the capture of David Luiz in the previous transfer window? It was no secret that Conte was vastly scouring the Italian league for defenders with Leonardo Bonucci leading the rumour radar. While rumours remained as rumours, out of the blue, Luiz returned to Stamford Bridge for a massive fee. Whether it was a panic buy or not, let’s not forget that the Brazilian has quickly adapted Conte’s new ideology.
Both Manolas and Rudiger are mainstays in defence for the Italian club. Losing any one of them in the January window could prove costly to their title quest as AS Roma are only four points behind Conte’s former club, Juventus.
This season, 25-year old Manolas has registered 26 interceptions, 12 blocks and 72 clearances, helping Wojciech Szczesny at the post to seal 4 clean sheets so far. Never denying, this stats would tempt any manager to throw in an offer. Meanwhile, Rudiger has recently returned to action after recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament rupture in his right knee during a training session with the German national team. Despite missing in action for some time, his importance to Luciano Spalletti is set in stone. Being two years younger than Manolas, he could be an investment for the future, as Gary Cahill has hit the 30-year old mark, while Luiz is only a year short.
Having splashed a considerable amount of money for defenders in the summer, will Conte once again dip into the transfer market? If he does, the biggest hurdle is the club’s absence in European competition which might not tempt Rudiger and Manolas at the moment. Chelsea fans might be under a cloud following these reports but their new manager has already made ample modifications to the side and nothing is short of success.