It could’ve all gone so much better for Antonio Conte and Chelsea. After leading his side to a Premier League title in his first season, Conte’s Chelsea faltered in his second, finishing outside the Champions League places and costing the Italian his job.
He did win the FA Cup, but he was nowhere near the top of the league by that point. However, Conte has since revealed the two stars he came very close to signing, stars that could’ve changed everything: Romelu Lukaku and Virgil Van Dijk.
Former Chelsea Manager Conte Reveals Two Star Signings That Came Agonisingly Close
Lukaku Famously Snubbed Chelsea for United
While Chelsea never had strong links to Van Dijk, the Lukaku story is very different. In the summer of 2017, right after the Blues had won the league, they desperately wanted Lukaku’s return. Not only did the club want it, but he wanted it too.
Enter Manchester United. His former boss Jose Mourinho swooped in and, with the help of his agent Mino Raiola and his friend Paul Pogba, convinced Lukaku to turn red instead of blue. United paid his £75 million release clause, which Chelsea also later matched, but by then it was too late.
Conte, who now manages Lukaku at Inter Milan, spoke to the Telegraph about his unsuccessful spell at United: “For sure, it would have been a different story if I was the coach of Romelu. Romelu is an incredible player and he has a lot of space for improvement. In one year at Inter, he had a lot of improvement because he wants to learn and I think I am a teacher.
“I asked for two players and we were very, very close after we won the league. One player was Romelu Lukaku, the second player was Virgil van Dijk, and these two players were very, very close. We were in contact every day and I always said that with these two players we would improve my team by 30 percent.”
Instead of Lukaku, Chelsea ended up signing Alvaro Morata, and we all know how that turned out. In fact, many considered him to be the worst signing in Chelsea’s history, until Kepa Arrizabalaga came along.
Given how Conte has been able to get the best out of Lukaku, it’s fascinating to think what would’ve happened had the Italian gotten his man back in 2017. Would he still be in London?
Ballon d’Or Contender at the Back?
When Liverpool signed Van Dijk for £75 million, many ridiculed Jurgen Klopp for spending such an outrageous fee on a centre-back. Nobody would dare say that now.
It’s not an understatement to say that the Dutchman turned Liverpool into a title-winning team. He completely stabilized the backline and gave Klopp that solid foundation every title-winner needs. Conte was able to achieve that at Chelsea with his back three, but he never had a world-class centre-back in his team.
The amount that Van Dijk brought to Liverpool is unquantifiable, because it’s not just his defensive solidity, it’s his ability to play out from the back, his composure, his leadership, his ability to make others better, and the list goes on. Before he signed, the Merseysiders were top-four contenders with no title aspirations. After he signed, they immediately went to the top, establishing himself as the world’s best defender.
Chelsea’s biggest problem last season under Frank Lampard was their lack of leadership at the back. They have fixed that issue now with Thiago Silva, but he’s 36, he doesn’t have too much left in the tank. If they’d been able to sign Van Dijk, that would’ve absolutely changed everything for the club.
Just one of Lukaku or Van Dijk could’ve won Conte another title, and changed the past few seasons greatly for Chelsea. Both of them? That could’ve even made them the best side in Europe. It’s all just a case of what-ifs now, but Chelsea fans will be kicking themselves wondering what could have been if the board backed Conte like they backed Lampard this season.
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