Radja Nainggolan thinks Antonio Conte is still angry with him because of last summer

Radja Nainggolan has noticed a distinct lack of phone calls from Chelsea, and Antonio Conte specifically, this season. After being linked almost daily with the then brand new Chelsea head coach all last spring and summer, Nainggolan has been feeling a little left out maybe. How will he leverage his own position for the latest contract extension at Roma now?

“I haven’t heard from Conte this year. I think he’s probably still a little angry with me about last year... At least I think he is, I don’t know.”

-Radja Nainggolan; source: Italia 1 via Football Italia

Interesting word choice with “angry”. It probably means that at some point along the way last year, Nainggolan may have led Conte to believe that he would be willing to leave Roma for Chelsea, only to then change his mind later (the happiest man in Rome!) and thus leave the Chelsea coach grasping at thin air.

It all worked out very well for Chelsea of course, but in the meantime, the Ninja Ship has sailed for good. Oh well. On to younger options now.