Roma beat Napoli 3-1 yesterday, but Chelsea target Radja Nainggolan was not one of their oustanding players. The Belgian was replaced by Stephan El Shaarawy after 79 minutes, after putting in another average performance for the club from the Italian capital.
With Nemanja Matic and N’Golo Kante looking perfectly matched in the engine room of Antonio Conte’s fledgling 343 system, the Blues may be relieved they didn’t spend the big money they were linked with handing over for Nainggolan. So far he hasn’t been able to recapture last season’s dominant form, with Chelsea old boy Mo Salah taking the plaudits for his attacking contributions instead.
Conte is clearly a fan of Nainggolan, and there’s no reason to rule out further bids from Chelsea in windows to come. But for now, it might be best to see if the midfielder’s form picks up as the season progresses.