Angelo Ogbonna played under Chelsea manager Conte for both Juventus and Italy and says the new Blues manager’s ability to turn the fortunes of clubs around is his defining attribute.
The West Ham defender said Conte has a great ability to bring passion and character out of his players declaring: “I call Antonio the ‘Tailor’ because he’s someone who can repair teams. He came to Juventus when they weren’t playing well. He came to the national team when they weren’t playing well. Now, maybe he can repair Chelsea.”
“Conte will bring passion and character. The anger on the touchline is just for show. On the pitch, you can feel he’s hungry, but he’s so friendly with the team and staff.
“He improved me – and every player – in terms of character. When I heard that he had the chance to come here, I thought it was good for him and good for the league.”
“Conte and Slaven are so close, Slaven has a good sense of humour, good passion. When he loses, he’s so angry!”
“Maybe it’s better for us that he gets like that. You need it for big games. He gives us temper and character. But he looks at the human first and the player after. Both of them improve you as a human being.”
It should come as no surprise that Ogbonna has been linked with possible interest from Chelsea and Conte considering their past history but ClaretandHugh understand the Hammers board are not interested in selling Ogbonna unless they receive a fantastic offer of ten of millions.