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Thursday September 28
Conte quit claim
05:00:Antonio Conte would have walked out on Chelsea if they had signed Romelu Lukaku instead of Alvaro Morata, claims John Giles.
Chelsea were understood to be keen on bringing Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge after the striker left the club permanently in 2014 but the Belgium international opted to join Manchester United, leaving Chelsea with a free run at signing Morata from Real Madrid for a similar price-tag.
Both strikers have enjoyed incredible starts to the new season at their respective clubs.
But former Leeds star Giles, who won two First Division titles in 1969 and 1974, claims Conte wanted Morata all along and would have walked out just a year after joining the west London club if they had failed to sign the 24-year-old.
“Antonio Conte had a stroke of luck when Romelu Lukaku ended a bitter internal debate at Stamford Bridge during the summer by declaring his intention to sign for Manchester United,” Giles told the Irish Independent.
“As a result, Conte’s choice, Alvaro Morata, became Chelsea’s choice but by default – not because he won a fight with Director of Football Michael Emelano.
“The conflict of wills at the club pushed Conte towards the door and there’s a good chance that if Chelsea had not secured Morata’s signature, the Italian would have been on his bike.”
Batshuayi challenged
Antonio Conte insists Michy Batshuayi must continue his progress after scoring a last-gasp winner for Chelsea against Atletico Madrid last night.
Batshuayi won all three points for Chelsea with the last kick of the game after latching onto Marcos Alonso’s cross.
But Conte has challenged the former Marseille striker to continue his progress.
“It is important, Michy is a young player,” Conte said. “Last season he struggled a lot to understand the league. He is improving and his commitment is very good.
“He has a lot of room for improvement. He has to continue this way.”
Luiz slammed
03:30: Roy Keane has blasted David Luiz for almost costing Chelsea the game against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last night.
Luiz gave away a penalty in the closing stages of the first half with Antoine Griezmann slotting home past Thibaut Courtois to give Atletico the lead.
Goals from Alvaro Morata and Michy Batshuayi helped save Luiz’s blushes with Chelsea moving top of their Champions League group.
But the Brazilian didn’t escape heavy criticism after the match with United legend-turned-pundit Keane lambasting the defender for his poor decision-making.
“It’s madness really. It’s a form of cheating,” he told ITV. “Why he’s doing it is beyond me. He’s lazy and he’s letting his team-mates down.
“He knows himself. There’s no need. We see a lot of that going on, so I’m glad he got punished for it. It’s a form of cheating.”
