Chelsea are enjoying life under Antonio Conte. The word ‘enjoying’ might be an understatement. They should be loving the way they are winning week in week out. The Blues came back from behind to win the game 3-1 against Manchester City on Saturday to stay in the driver’s seat in the Premier League table.
Under Conte, they have managed eight wins in a row in the Premier League which is excellent and praise-worthy considering that it is just is debut season in England.
However, no matter how good you are, there is always a room for improvement and Conte is likely to strengthen his squad in the following transfer windows. Reports are claiming that Chelsea want highly-rated Ivorian midfielder Franck Kessie from Atalanta who has alerted a host of big clubs in Europe with his scintillating displays in the middle of the park.
We have taken the time to come up with a SWOT analysis of the lad.
Strengths
When a player is christened as ‘the next Yaya Toure’, you can feel how talented he is. He is just 19 years of age but has shown the world what he is capable of in his debut season in Italy’s first tier. Chipping in with six goals in all competitions, the powerful central midfielder has been a mainstay for Atalanta this season, as his side sit sixth in Serie A.
Weaknesses
The difference in the pace and the kind of football in the Premier League and the Serie A is vastly different from each other. Players have found the pace of the Premier League too vehement to deal with at times and that could hinder Kessie’s early development. However, With Conte on board who is from Italy, the risk-factor becomes much lesser.
Opportunities
Conte’s 3-4-3 system has worked wonders at Chelsea but Chelsea do not have enough options in their squad to stick to the formula if either Kanté or Matic goes down with injuries. Fabregas played in midfield against Manchester City and was good attacking wise but Chelsea looked vulnerable defensively. The only other senior central midfielder Chelsea have is Mikel who offers absolutely nothing attacking wise. So, an all-round midfielder like Kessie is would have a pretty big say at Stamford Bridge.
Threats
As I pointed earlier, there is a big risk factor whenever a Premier League side signs a player from Italy. Kessie is not that experienced and might find life hard in English football. On top of that, Chelsea are not a famous club when it comes to give young players a chance. So, Kessie has to be careful before deciding on a move if Chelsea go for him in January.
