Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has defensive issues in his current team, and he’s reportedly ready to target Tottenham man Ben Davies in January.
Despite signing both David Luiz and Marcos Alonso ahead of the transfer deadline last month, the Italian tactician was left furious after his side’s 3-0 defeat to Arsenal on Saturday as they have kept just one clean sheet so far this season in all competitions.
While he insisted that he would “find the solution”, it appears as though he’ll be active in the January transfer window in addressing his biggest concerns.
According to ESPN FC, Davies has emerged on Chelsea’s transfer radar, and his versatility in being able to play either at left-back or on the left of a three-man defence could be a key reason as to why Conte is targeting him.
The 23-year-old has struggled for regular football at White Hart Lane as he is considered back-up to Danny Rose, but after impressing for Wales at Euro 2016 this past summer, it’s clear that if given the right opportunity and playing time, he can prove his worth.
It’s added in the report that Tottenham aren’t interested in selling and don’t want to lose him to a direct rival, but that shouldn’t be enough to put Chelsea off from making a move.
Conte regularly deployed a 3-5-2 system during his time as Juventus and Italy boss, and so perhaps his “solution” will be to use the same formation at Stamford Bridge provided that he has the right personnel.
John Terry has been out injured in the past week, leading to Luiz getting his second debut for the club. With Gary Cahill and Branislav Ivanovic struggling for form, it’s clear that the defensive issues will take time to be fixed and that isn’t something that Conte has in his favour given the expectations.