Chelsea are surely running away with the Premier league title this season unless they don’t bottle things up in the most Liverpool-ish manner right at the dead end. The Blues lead the table with seven points over immediate challengers Tottenham Hotspur and though there are few tricky fixtures on their way, the London club would expect to overcome them.
New manager Antonio Conte has struck gold right in the first season with a tremendous turnaround for a team that finished 10th in the Premier League last season. However, things will only get complicated when the Italian boss tries to steer his way past the multiple tournaments and hectic fixtures next season, which is a consequence of winning the title.
Finishing out of both the UEFA Champions and Europa League’s ambit last season meant Chelsea had only to worry about the domestic league and local competitions. They crashed out of the EFL Cup early and had only two cups, EPL and FA Cup to aim for, which they have done brilliantly.
Conte will have a clear plan of the important additions that the London club needs next season and one of the most important areas will be their attack. Chelsea had almost an unchanged attack the whole season, which had little space for injuries. It had which contributed significantly to their successful campaign. Things won’t be the same next year and the danger of star players like Eden Hazard and Diego Costa leaving is a different concern altogether.
Chelsea have been long-term admirers of Serie A winger Federico Bernardeschi with the manager having a clear recognition of the 23-year-old’s talent. And with recent reports of the Fiorentina forward rejecting a contract extension have got them exciting. The club is well aware of their prized asset and are trying hard to convince the player.
But interest from AC Milan and Inter, apart from Chelsea, is hard to resist and a summer move is very much possible. Bernardeschi’s contract at Fiorentina runs till 2019 and the club, knowing his talent, had offered him a significant pay rise in the new contract, which he has rejected.
An academy product of Fiorentina, Bernardeschi broke into the first team in 2013 and was soon sent to Crotone for regular time. He learnt well, fast establishing himself a first team player for his boyhood club. He has netted 22 goals and provided 13 assists in 87 outings for Fiorentina. His displays even earned him a national call-up last year in March.
