Roman Abramovich to fund squad overhaul at Chelsea — report

We’ve heard all this many times before of course; sometimes it turns out to be true; sometimes we end up with Papy Djilobodji. The proof, as always, will be in pudding. Or the transfer market, as it were.

In any case, according to journalist Matt Law from the Telegraph, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is ready to fund a squad overhaul if the current players continue to show their ineptitude in mounting a proper challenge against big teams in England.

Abramovich was reportedly on the players’ side when José Mourinho was sacked in December, and was willing to give them a new chance under manager Antonio Conte. Despite a few reinforcements, Chelsea have shown lasting problems from last season, especially in defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal, and Abramovich is thus willing to spend his money to remedy this situation.

Law reports that Conte (once again) will likely ask to add a new central defender, a new full-back, plus a midfielder and a forward — fresh blood at every position. The Blues could be looking to bring Antoine Griezmann from Atlético Madrid next summer, as well as make a new approach towards Roma defender Antonio Rüdiger, who was a transfer target this summer before suffering a knee ligament injury.

Unfortunately, all these changes and big-money moves are slated for next summer, which means that Conte has his work cut out for him if he’s to be around to be able to take advantage of the owner’s best intentions.