The Youngster That Conte Does Not Want To Lose!!
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has insisted that he does not want to allow young superstar Charly Musonda to leave the club in the next transfer window. The 21 year old has been one of the few bright players that have caught the eye for the Blues this season. After having a rather underwhelming summer transfer window, Chelsea did not manage to get their prized acquisitions but still made a few important last-gasp deals. After having sold key defensive midfielder Nemanja Matic to fierce rivals Manchester United, Chelsea have lacked stability in that midfield department.
New arrival from AS Monaco Tiemoue Bakayoko has not settled in well at the club and has not hit the ground running due to his constant injuries and Danny Drinkwater is still recovering from a rather long-term injury. Another player that left Chelsea for Aston Villa was club legend John Terry and his absence is still felt in the dressing room.
But there was one spot that Conte felt he needed back-up and did not manage to recruit in the transfer window, that was the wing-back position. Chelsea got in Davide Zappacosta from Torino but did not get a backup for the left side which is Marcos Alonso’s position.
But during the 2-1 win against Merseyside club Everton in the Carabao Cup, Conte may have found a suitable replacement in the form of Charly Musonda.
Chelsea played the game with most of their youth squad and came out with a win, after the game Conte said, “I am happy because saw a lot of positive things, The young players’ performances, especially Charly Musonda, Kenedy and Ethan Ampadu. Don’t forget he [Ampadu] is only 17. They played a good game. It’s very important to trust these players because they deserve the chance. And tonight I’m very happy because tonight I had a good answer”
Although the Belgian star is generally an attacking midfielder, he slotted in well at the left-wing back position which gave Conte a lot of positives to think about in the future. Musonda was reportedly the interest of a number of clubs across Europe in terms of spending a few months on loan to receive more football minutes in the first team.
Musonda spent the last term on loan at Spanish side Real Betis but returned to London at the end of last year. But having made a few substitute roles in the Premier League, Musonda is now keen to impress on a more regular basis and hopes to continue making more first-team appearances for the club.
With Chelsea playing more games this season in comparison to last year when they won the league, it makes more sense for the Italian boss Conte to keep players at the club and give youngsters a chance, especially after a failed summer transfer window.
Editor’s View: Not Enough Game Time?
The problem with clubs like Chelsea and even Arsenal is that, though their academy has a lot of talented young stars that they build over the years, they are never able to give them enough game time for the first team. For the Blues in particular, most of these stars are loaned out or eventually sold, after years of football for the reserves or the other teams, but they never make it to the first team.
Despite that, if Conte does believe that this star can be of some use to him in the future and still wants to keep him as part of his long-term plans, it is highly likely the player might even stay for a year or two more.
