COMMENT: For Chelsea. For Antonio Conte's Chelsea. Last week was perhaps the most significant seven days in the past 12 months. And not just for the Italian, but also Roman Abramovich...
It took winning the title at first attempt, but Conte's done it. He's managed to convince Abramovich to water down the powers of trusted lieutenants Michael Emenalo and Marina Granovskaia.
Conte's new pay-rise - secured last week - didn't come with an extension. His deal is now inside it's final two years. The development has raised some eyebrows, but Blues fans needn't fret. Conte's going nowhere. Indeed, it's just the opposite. He's now shaping the club in his image.
The departure of Steve Holland for Gareth Southgate's England setup gave Conte his opening. An opportunity. A new assistant. His man. His choice. On the same day he was putting pen to paper on a new deal, Conte was also welcoming Paolo Vanoli to Chelsea as his new No2. A massive coup - and not just for Conte, but also Chelsea FC. However, more on Vanoli later.
Also coming through Cobham gates was Davide Mazzotta, dubbed 'match analyst' by Chelsea in their press release. But he's more than that. First and foremost, Mazzotta is another Conte ally. A Leccese - like the manager and his brother, Gianluca (also on Chelsea's staff). Mazzotta is a former Lecce youth coach and was part of Conte's backroom when Italy manager, where he acted as opposition scout. Along with Vanoli, he'll be in the dugout on matchday.
Vanoli's arrival cannot be underplayed. For Chelsea, prising the 45 year-old away from Italy coach Giampiero Ventura's staff is a coup. FIGC president Carlo Tavecchio, working from the German model, had identified Vanoli as Ventura's potential successor, promoting him from his U19 role last year. The 'Italian Jogi Low' if you like.
But now he's with Chelsea. And like Mazzotta, represents a show of good faith by Abramovich, who had demanded Conte slash his staff wishlist 12 months ago. Today, Conte now has two more allies close to him. This really is hisChelsea.
It runs against opinion inside the Blues boardroom, where there has been hope of a greater British influence at the top of the club's coaching pyramid. And it's a concern that deserves airing. But for those who see Conte as a stable, long-term proposition at Chelsea, his victory in convincing Abramovich to make these two appointments is significant.
Vanoli, particularly, will be no passenger. He arrives with a reputation as one of the best young national team coaches in Europe. And he's a manager very much in the style of Conte. For seven years Vanoli, capped twice by Italy in a playing career which included a stint in Scotland with Alex McLeish's Rangers, has worked with Italy's national teams, from U16 to Conte and Ventura's senior squads. And his approach is very much Conte-esque.
Discussing his U19s last year, where he led the Azzurrini to the Euros final, Vanoli recalled: "I imposed a few rules. I forbid the phone in the massage room, it is a time when you have to listen to your body and talk to your companions. And I banned headphones: they have to experience the stadium, the sense of emptiness I felt. And then they also need to hear me on the coach.
"Conte's Italy offered us the example to follow. Focus on the collective and the talent will emerge."
And those urging more chances for Chelsea's latest group of FA Youth Cup winners, they will have a supporter in Vanoli.
Again speaking about his U19s, he says: "The boys are aware of being at a crossroads, some explode, others are lost. They are a little scared not to find room in the first team, it is understandable.
"We do need to find room for them."
Of course, the third addition made last week was Alvaro Morata. Again, a Conte choice.
Yes, the focus was on Romelu Lukaku. But only after it was made clear to intermediaries that Real Madrid were speaking directly to Manchester United about Morata. It must be remembered that the Spaniard was always Jose Mourinho's first-choice. If Florentino Perez, Real's president, hadn't been so stubborn over his asking price, Morata would be a United player and Lukaku, in a deal driven primarily by Emenalo, a Blue.
It was Conte, before leaving to take the Azzurri job, who pushed Juventus to sign Morata three years ago. He knows all about the Spaniard. His ability. His potential. And, significantly, his character. This was the player Conte had in mind when giving Diego Costa and Jorge Mendes a piece of his mind in January.
Morata will be the new face of Conte's attack. The new face of Chelsea. And the manager, with two more allies on his bench, couldn't be happier.
Source: tribalfootball.com