Antonio Conte, who looks almost certain to take over as Chelsea manager next season, has a very close relationship with Bayern Munich midfielder Arturo Vidal.
The Italian recently added more fuel to rumours of a reunion at Stamford Bridge, claiming he would love to coach the Chilean once again.
Arturo Vidal is one of the best midfielders in the world at present, but has struggled to have a major impact for Bayern Munich after a transfer from Juventus last summer. Conte was the manager who helped turn Vidal into a world class player during their time in Turin. In a recent interview, Vidal even said that if he was to go to war, he’d take Antonio Conte with him.
This display of admiration from the current Bayern Munich player inevitably came up in Spanish publication El Pais‘ interview with Conte ahead of his Italy’s friendly against Spain.
“He’s an amazing player,” said Conte. “I must admit that I didn’t know where to play him after I signed him. In my head I wanted to play with 4-2-4 and 4-4-2; but seeing Vidal play, I switched to 4-3-3 which was then transformed into a 3-5-2.
“His physical qualities and exceptional technical ability are extraordinary. It would be fantastic if I could coach him again. I want him on all my teams.”
A re-union in London
Antonio Conte signed Vidal from Bayer Leverkusen in 2011 and deployed him as part of a three-man midfield alongside Claudio Marchisio and Andrea Pirlo to great success. They went on to win three Serie A titles and a Coppa Italia together before the Italian left the Bianconeri in 2014. Just one season later, his former ward Vidal was on his way to Bayern Munich for 37 million euros.
It is evident that the two enjoy a very good relationship and would love the chance to work together again. However, with Vidal playing for one of the giants of European football, it would be a huge gamble on the part of the 28-year-old Chilean to move to Chelsea, who will be without top-tier European football next season.
