Conte will not hang around for gold watch

IS there a storm brewing at Chelsea – or is it just business as usual at Stamford Bridge?

There are signs that all is not well with Antonio Conte because Chelsea have not been as active in the transfer market as some big clubs and they were outflanked by Manchester United in the race for Romelu Lukaku.

But don’t forget: Chelsea have enjoyed success over the years by changing their managers like we change our clocks every year.

If, as some pundits have suggested, Conte and the champions are on course to part company within the next 12 months, I would argue Chelsea have ridden out that storm before.

They sacked one of the greatest managers of all time, Jose Mourinho, when the players were disgruntled – and 18 months later they won the title after bringing in Conte. I’m surprised the Blues have sent Diego Costa (above) into exile, and I’m not convinced Alvaro Morata is an upgrade as a striker.

But they have invested in the spine of the team by bringing in Antonio Rudiger, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Morata, and I expect them to be in the top four.

If I was a Chelsea fan, my biggest concern would be the number of kids being allowed to leave the club without getting a fair shot at regular first-team football.

Dominic Solanke, Nat Chalobah and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are among a platoon of young talent to go.

John Terry remains the last player to graduate from the Blues’ academy and hold down a first team place – and that was nearly 20 years ago.

It would be nice if the champions of England had the courage to give their youngsters a chance.