Conte's Chelsea future in the balance as demands full control of Blues' academy

Antonio Conte and Chelsea remain at stand-off over the manager’s role in promoting academy players to the first team. The disagreement over youth development – which dates back to the Italian’s appointment last year – is a further complication in the Premier League club’s attempt to tie Conte to a new contract.

In addition to favouring graduates of their lavishly funded academy in the first eleven, Chelsea want Conte to take a hands-on role in the unit’s direction. Though Conte is not opposed to the idea of involvement in the academy, he has made it clear to the club that he is only prepared to take responsibility for youth development if he is granted full control over it.

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Upon his arrival in English football last summer, the former Juventus and Italy national team coach proposed bringing in an appointment of his own choosing to oversee the academy and facilitate the challenging transition from youth ranks to senior squad. In the 14 years since Roman Abramovich purchased Chelsea and began an unprecedented process of investing tens of millions of pounds in academy infrastructure, staff and footballers, not a single product of the Cobham set-up has established himself as a first-team regular.

Despite this history of failure under a succession of high-quality first-team managers, Chelsea rejected Conte’s request to appoint his own man. Neil Bath has headed up the academy throughout Abramovich’s ownerships, leading the club to four successive FA Youth Cups and two UEFA Youth Leagues.

Every one of the eight ‘permanent’ managers the Russian billionaire has employed has been pressured to use the products of Bath’s academy in senior matches. Amidst complaints that youth team coaches prioritise success in restricted age range competitions over opportunities to integrate with the senior group, none have met Abramovich’s demands.

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This succession of failure has occurred despite measures such as the enforced inclusion of five academy graduates in Carlo Ancelotti’s first-team squad ahead of the manager’s second season at Stamford Bridge. Having won a Premier League and FA Cup double in his first campaign, Ancelotti was sacked at the end of his ‘academy development’ season.

Conte’s decision to distance himself from the academy unless he has complete control over it has been reflected in his use of what advocates of Cobham’s youth team argue is a prime crop of players. With 35 matches played and the English title almost secured, Conte has granted academy graduates a total of just 128 minutes of League football. Nathaniel Chalobah, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Ola Aina and Nathan Ake’s playing time has been spread across 18 substitute appearances. Not one of the quartet has yet been trusted to start a Premier League fixture.

Conte has also been at odds with Chelsea over more fundamental aspects of the first team’s composition, insisting that the London club use the summer transfer window to build him a squad capable of winning the Champions League as a condition of committing to a revised long-term contract.

The 47-year-old is asking for aggressive investment in all areas of the team, arguing that he needs top-quality starters at centre forward, in the heart of midfield, and in the middle and right-hand side of his defence. According to well-placed sources, Conte believes he is entitled to full support in the transfer market as a reward for leading Chelsea to the cusp of the Premier League title in his first season at Stamford Bridge. Especially as the club failed to provide him with any of the reinforcements he requested last summer.

Conte will also argue that a manager-led recruitment policy is essential to transferring the club’s domestic success to the Champions League’s more demanding stage. Conte is conscious of the advantage Chelsea have held in frequently having a full week to prepare for Premier League matches. Not playing any European football this season has provided the luxury of additional physical and tactical training ground work.

Ambition

Although Conte expects his salary to be improved as one condition to agreeing a new contract, he has told friends that the construction of a unit capable of achieving a personal ambition of winning a first Champions League as coach is more important than financial terms. Contrary to reports in Italy, there are no issues about his personal circumstances in London, however Conte will make it clear that he does not intend to compromise on sporting matters.

Internazionale have been monitoring the situation, with Conte encouraging interest from the Milan club and any other outfit capable of matching his desire for a proper platform with which to attack Europe’s premier club competition. Should Chelsea think it impossible that he would leave a job having just won a League title they would do well to note that Conte did exactly that at Juventus in 2014, resigning as manager during the pre-season after the Italian champions refused to meet demands for new recruits.

Comparing the squad he has been working with that of likely runners-up Tottenham Hotspur this week, Conte emphasised the need “to go into the market and choose the right players on my idea of football.

“Last season, Spurs fought to win the title and Chelsea arrived 10th. You can see our transfer market, and Tottenham’s transfer market. Then I think Tottenham, in their project, have an advantage if you compare them to us. This is my first season and I found a lot of situations, a lot of players. Pochettino has been working there for three years and has changed a lot of players, and is working very well.

“If you consider the squads, the numbers in each squad, you can see the difference: one team prepared to play the Champions League with 25 or 26 players, and another who prepared to play the League, the FA Cup and the League Cup. Do we need more players? Yes for sure.”