A lot of Arsenal fans would gladly take a bit of the trophy success that Chelsea have enjoyed over the last decade or so, with Premier League titles, domestic cups and both the Champions League and Europa League to celebrate, but I am not so sure about the way that their big spending billionaire owner Roman Abramovich gets through managers.
The likes of Ranieri, Avram Grant, Ancelotti and most recently Jose Mourinho have been let go after what many would call successful spells in charge but even so you could forgive their current boss Antonio Conte for expecting hi8s remarkable debut season at Stamford Bridge would have bought him power and influence at the club.
Instead, according to reports from various reliable sources like The Guardian, the Italian and the Chelsea board are at odds over the manager’s wish to have a big say on transfers.
Conte is apparently not very happy about the lack of action so far and from an Arsenal point of view let us hope the situation continues or gets even worse. Not only will it help the Gunners to keep hold of players, such as Alexis Sanchez, who Chelsea may want, it might also give Arsene Wenger the chance to secure his own signings without too much competition from the EPL champions.
So keep rowing please, Conte and Chelsea, and get your finger out, Arsene, while the coast is clear.
Bob.