Chelsea Manager Antonio Contegetty images
Chelsea Manager Antonio Conte "made clear his frustrations" at his club's strategy in the January transfer window by admitting his powers of persuasion remain “a disaster” when it comes to convincing his employer to sign players, according to Dominic Fifield of the London GUARDIAN. The Italian’s relationship with the Chelsea hierarchy has "always been strained" over recruitment policy, "echoing similar disagreements" through his three-year stint in charge at Juventus, and he "conceded publicly in recent weeks that Chelsea cannot compete financially with the Manchester clubs." Conte went into the weekend with the joint highest win percentage -- 70.3%, alongside Pep Guardiola -- of any manager in Premier League history. Asked if he thought anyone "could do a better job" with the players at his disposal, Conte said, "I don't know. Usually? Usually in my experience, I reach the best results possible with the players I have to work with." While there is an acceptance that the Italian "will move on in the summer despite having another year to run on his contract," Chelsea has been "reluctant to make a change in the dugout mid-season." Reports in Spain have suggested Luis Enrique, the former Barcelona manager who is "believed to be keen to work in England," has "verbally agreed" to personal terms with Chelsea (GUARDIAN, 2/11).
