Antonio Conte has given a big meaty interview to Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport. The Italian media are obviously quite proud of Conte’s impact at Chelsea, especially given the criticism he received at the start of the season.
With Claudio Ranieri winning the Premier League with Leicester City last season, and Walter Mazzarri doing well with Watford, it’s a time to be proud of their achievements.
The Italian media are also very fond of transfer news, so Gazzetta weren’t going to waste the opportunity. Conte was asked about buying a defender in January, and said: “La Rosa (an Italian term literally meaning ‘the rose’ but used to describe a squad) is complete. Talk is premature.”
Gazzetta then asked about ‘market gossip’ (cough cough, Gazzetta, much of it from you) that Cesc Fabregas and Oscar could be leaving, to which Conte replied: “Gossip. I am not going to send them away. They are important players for Chelsea.”
Hmm. Sometimes that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Conte knows the press game and how crazy the rumour mill is, his answers are not to be taken as absolute concrete declarations on Chelsea’s January window, but rather the best thing to say now. There’s well over a month until the window opens, and Conte is best keeping his Chelsea cards close to his chest.
