Chelsea have been monitoring the situation of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and are ready to put in an offer for the Arsenal player. Antonio Conte is looking for appropriate players for his Chelsea side and has identified the 23-year-old as his new target.
Chelsea are yet to flex their muscles as the Champions of England and are yet to make any notable effort in the transfer market. Despite having been linked with a host of players, the West Londoners have been unable to crack a deal so far.
Conte created a sensation with his tactical style of play and the idea of playing with a three-man defence and wingbacks have well complemented his strategy. A number of managers opted to follow in his footsteps as Arsene Wenger and Mauricio Pochettino have tried their hands with this formation.
Most notably, Wenger implemented it at a time when the chips were down for the Gunners. He decided to play with a different 3-4-2-1 formation with Chamberlain dropping back to the right wingback position. The system proved to be a major hit as Wenger won the last nine games out of ten.
Chamberlain will be moving into his last year of the contract and hasn’t been offered a new deal yet. The player is ready to commit his future with the Gunners but he wants assurance over his participation in the next season. He doesn’t want to be constantly rotated and has demanded a specific role in the side.
Conte could use this situation to shore up his squad. Victor Moses has been a revelation in the right wingback position but there is no adequate back up in this position. Chamberlain has done very well and Conte might try to lure Ox and turn around his fortunes as well.
Arsenal signed the player for almost £12m from Southampton in 2011 and will be looking to recoup at least twice that amount. Chelsea are currently well stocked in the midfield department and the 23-year-old might not be able to clinch a first team spot. But the Blues will be competing on four fronts in the upcoming season and Conte will have to make sure the player remains an important part of the first team.
Chamberlain has never been able to stamp his authority at the Emirates Stadium and it is the right time for him to make a move. He has to sort out a team where he can have some first team playing minutes keeping in mind the 2018 World Cup.
