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Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
A graphic reading 'CONFIRMED: Todd Boehly sells his Chelsea stake to Clearlake Capital'. Image shows Todd Boehly at Stamford Bridge.
Credit: Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images
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Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
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Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images
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Photo by Robin Jones - AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images
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Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
The Italian also got the Blues playing in a three-at-the-back system the club hadn’t seen for some time, and made a number of crucial signings such as N’golo Kante.
Antonio Conte is one of the most important Chelsea managers in history
The Frenchman had only one season of Premier League football under his belt before joining Chelsea, and despite that being Leicester’s title-winning campaign, there were clearly some doubts about him at Stamford Bridge.
Conte explained to The Athletic that the club took plenty of convincing to sign Kante, and the subsequent impact he had on the club is recognition of how important Conte is.
He said: “We hadn’t made any big signings. We signed David Luiz, Marcos Alonso and Kante — the club asked me 10 times if I was sure about him. He wasn’t the typical Chelsea player: tall and handsome. He was the sort of bloke who, when you saw him, was just… well, when I first saw him, I had a few doubts myself about his physicality (laughs), but I was so convinced he was a top player.”
Kante was named in the PFA Team of the Year in his first season under Conte, whilst also being named Chelsea’s Player of the Season ahead of Eden Hazard and Diego Costa.
It would perhaps be after Conte departed when the France international made his biggest impact on the club, with the performances in the latter stages of the 2021 Champions League campaign on another level.
He was Player of the Match in both legs of the semi-final against Real Madrid and the final against Manchester City, leading the Blues to their second Champions League trophy.
Despite a plethora of injuries in the latter years of his Chelsea career, there is no doubting he is one of the most important players in the club’s recent history, and his addition to the squad was completely down to Conte.