Antonio Conte is close to landing the Premier League title in his first season in the country but he is already planning for his second and has been looking at players who can improve the squad this summer. A couple of positions need to be addressed in the squad and Conte has now targeted young Andrea Conti for a move this summer, to solve the club’s problems at full-back.
Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso are the only two wing backs in the current squad as Cesar Azpilicueta has been a success as a part of the back three. So the manager is desperate for players in this position and has targeted Conti this summer.
Born in Lecco, Italy, Conti started his career with Atlanta, his parent club at the moment. He has just 37 appearances to his name in the senior side at Atlanta and has spent a couple of seasons on loan at Perugia and Virtus Lanciano.
However, he has now cemented a place in the first team at Atlanta and is a crucial part of their plans this season. He is also an integral part of the Italian U21 squad and has 14 appearances to his name to date. He is the first choice full back for his side this season but Chelsea are desperate for his signature and have had scouts watching over him regularly in the last couple of months.
Conte is determined that he needs to add a couple of full-backs, one each on either side, to help the side cope up with the challenges next season and Conti could be a perfect fit. Having already worked under Conte in his time with the Italian national side (though not directly), the Chelsea manager knows quite a lot about the player and is convinced that he could be a super addition to the squad at the Bridge this summer.
A right-back by trait, Conti has five goals and three assists in the Serie A this season for Atlanta and at just 23, he is a star for the future. An excellent passer who loves to sit back and help his side out defensively, Conti is not a player who will take bombarding runs into the final third but is a player who will add solidity to the back line.
Strong in the air and in the ability to read the game, Conti stays a step ahead of his opponents most of the times and this allows him to put in a number of perfectly timed tackles, which has been a feature of his short career.
He is disciplined and stays away from the ugly side of the game but is not afraid of throwing himself around and Antonio Conte will know that he can make Chelsea that much better next season.
Conti is not expected to walk into the first team over Victor Moses but he could be the perfect replacement for the exciting winger turned wing-back in games where Chelsea need more cover at the back. Conti is a kind of a player who is absent at Chelsea so he is an urgent requirement at the Bridge this summer. But do you think Andrea Conti will join Chelsea this summer?
