Chelsea star Branislav Ivanovic leaves Antonio Conte sweating ahead of tricky West Ham opener after dislocating shoulder
Serbian ace suffered injury during pre-season win over RZ Pellets and could miss new manager's first league clash
CHELSEA ace Branislav Ivanovic could miss Antonio Conte’s first-ever Premier League game after dislocating his shoulder in pre-season.
The tough-tackling Serb picked up the injury during the 3-0 win over RZ Pellets last week and is set to miss at least three weeks of action.
Ivanovic is now a major doubt to face West Ham at Stamford Bridge on August 15, dealing a huge blow to new boss Conte.
Ivanovic has still travelled with Chelsea for their tour of America, but will miss matches against Premier League rivals Liverpool and Spanish giants Real Madrid.
It could mean that Cesar Azpilicueta is redeployed to his natural position at right-back, allowing Baba Rahman to slot in on the opposite flank.
There is also an option to play Juan Cuadrado on the right if Conte opts to use the 3-5-2 system which saw him claim three consecutive Serie A titles with Juventus.
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But with Ivanovic also providing cover at centre-back – and with Kurt Zouma still some way off a full recovery from a cruciate knee ligament injury – Chelsea are now looking light at the back.
That is sure worry Conte, who has been linked with a number of big names across Europe since taking charge in west London.
The former Italy boss’ top target is reported to be Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly, who is also being chased by Everton.
The Senegal international won’t come cheap though, with Roma ace Kostas Manolas also likely to be an expensive purchase.
The Greek’s agent claims Chelsea are chasing his client’s signature alongside Manchester United and Manchester City, while there have also been links with Benfica youngster Victor Lindelof.
And there could yet be a reprieve for Andreas Christensen in 2017, with Chelsea rejecting a £14million bid from his current loan club Borussia Monchengladbach.