CHELSEA COCK-UP
Barkley can’t play in FA Cup tie after Blues failed to seal £15m deal in time
ANTONIO CONTE’S plans to blood Ross Barkley in the FA Cup have been foiled because Chelsea did not complete the £15million transfer in time.
Conte has been preparing for the England midfielder to make his debut in tonight’s third-round replay at Stamford Bridge.
Barkley’s switch from Everton was completed on January 5 — the eve of the tie which was drawn at Carrow Road — but not, the Chelsea manager discovered on Sunday, before the midday deadline.
‘He’s not able to play because the transfer was late,’ said Conte. ‘Two days ago I was sure Ross Barkley could play against Norwich. Then I was informed about this new situation.’
The deadline is 5pm on the day before a game for a loan signing but noon for any permanent deal.
Chelsea will now organise a friendly fixture for Barkley, who has not played since a serious hamstring injury in pre-season.
‘Then we will see his physical condition,’ said Conte, who warned there will be changes against Norwich. Gary Cahill and Cesc Fabregas are injured, others will take a breather and 17-yearold Ethan Ampadu will start as one of three central defenders.
‘Ampadu deserves to play,’ said Conte. ‘He is ready physically and tactically. This is unusual for a player who is only 17 but that shows age is not important. The important thing is that when I give you the chance, you repay me with a great performance.’
Chelsea have six clean sheets in seven games but Conte (right) is concerned about a lack of scoring and will not indulge reputations as he tries to put this right.
Eden Hazard has completed 90 minutes only once in his last eight appearances and he was taken off after less than an hour against Leicester as the Premier League champions toiled to a third successive goalless draw. ‘We are not scoring and this is a real problem for us,’ said Conte. ‘We have to improve in this aspect and my players know very well that they can improve. Every single player has scored less than last season.
‘For this reason we must be worried — not if a player is happy or not. I am the coach and I decide. The most important thing is to win and to try and be honest in your choice. I learned this from Marcello Lippi, Giovanni Trapattoni and Arrigo Sacchi.’
Hazard has found the target only once in his last 10 games but Chelsea are trying to tie him down to a new, long-term contract because his deal expires in 2020.There are overtures from Real Madrid but Conte claimed English football suffers from a peculiar obsession with the happiness of players.
‘Only here is there this situation,’ said the Chelsea manager. ‘You are worried about whether a player is happy or not. This is not important. My first task is to do the best for the team and the club, not to make every player happy. Otherwise we’d risk finishing 20th in the table.’