Chelsea have the biggest number of young players sent on loan across Europe. Even so, there is still room for improvement in Conte’s lot who is continuing his search for those players who will fit perfectly in his system. The game against Leicester was a short preview of what a 3-4-3 formation can do if aligned properly. Chelsea demolished the Premier League champions and managed an excellent game mostly due to the new tactic implemented by the Italian boss. Everyone knew he is a fan of using 3 defenders but no one actually had the chance to see such an alignment up until this week-end. It’s tricky to play like this every time though especially with players like Terry closing in on retirement and with others like Cahill being used to have a second center-back to play next to.
If rumors are true, a new addition to the team might allow Conte to pursuit this particular playing style. The name of the player who could be trained in such a way as to become the perfect central midfielder is Doria, a 21-year-old Brazilian defender currently under contract with Marseille. He has shown a lot of promise and more importantly, he has shown interest in joining a Premier League side such as Chelsea. Here is what he had to say regarding a possible deal with the Blues: “Yes, I heard about [Chelsea’s interest] through social media. But I think that I need to continue to do my work. We have played eight games, I need to continue.”
“I don’t know [if it’s true]. I found out about it like you did. But that should not stop one from dreaming, they are one of the biggest clubs in Europe.”
“I am happy about these rumors, but what is more important is to continue playing well.” [Quotes sourced from Metro].
It will help Conte if he signs someone he can model in such a way as to fit in the 3-4-3 system. Doria is affordable, strong and willing to take on a new challenge even though he is very young. He is under contract until 2019 but the relationship built after Batshuayi’s transfer might allow Chelsea to start negotiations as soon as this winter.