Chelsea’s managerial farce is finally over, but solving one problem has created further issues.
The sacking of Antonio Conte after two successful years took an age, in part because the club were negotiating his payoff. A few millions euros clearly matters a lot to them.
But his legacy at the club could be a lot more expensive. The problem with hiring and firing managers as regularly as Chelsea do is that you end up with a squad that is pulled and pushed in all directions by different coaches to the point that it becomes a formless mess.
Conte would maintain that he was not backed in the transfer market, and while it’s true that the club never secured the top names that he was looking for, they did buy him players in positions he wanted.
That’s how we’ve now ended up with Davide Zappacosta, Victor Moses, Marcos Alonso and Emerson Palmieri in the squad. Assuming you accept Moses isn’t going to get in the team in attack anymore, all four are dedicated wing backs.
According to Transfermarkt, the total cost of the three signed under Conte is €63m.
If Maurizio Sarri chooses to play with a back four, that leaves Chelsea with serious issues. Perhaps some of those named can adapt, but none are natural full backs. The club would not only have to sell some of those players, it would also have to bring in replacements better suited to the role.
That will cost a lot more than Conte’s payoff. And when Sarri is sacked in six months and Roman bring in another manager who likes to play with wing backs? The whole cycle would start again.
