Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is reportedly looking to carry out a complete overhaul of the squad he inherited in July after only landing one his summer targets and now feeling that the 2015 champions will not rediscover their form of old.
It comes just a few days after rumours that Roman Abramovich was prepared to bankroll such a spending spree if the underperforming existing players continue to fail the new boss.
According to The Times, dynamic midfielder N'Golo Kante was the only one of Conte's summer targets that was actually brought in. The newspaper suggests that Michy Batshuayi's arrival was the work of Michael Emenalo instead, while Marcos Alonso and David Luiz will little more than 'emergency' buys at the end of the transfer window with no better options available.
It is said that while Conte initially adhered to Abramovich's summer urge for patience with the group that finished 10th last season, a mere 12 months after lifting the Premier League trophy, both men accept that there needs to be greater change to see the club return to the top.
Times journalist Matt Hughes notes, "Conte has also expressed concern that there is an underlying complacency in the dressing room due to a culture of player-power that has developed over several years and he is determined to stamp it out."
Chelsea began the season with a string of fine results, maintaining a 100% winning record through their first three games. However, problems began with a 2-2 draw against Swansea that has since been followed by terribly disappointing performances in back to back defeats at the hands of great rivals Liverpool and Arsenal.
The Blues will look to return to winning ways with an away game against Hull on Saturday.
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