Preventing Chelsea's season from imploding

Abramovich does not want to have to sack another manager as he

did with Mourinho (Getty)

Roman Abramovich to spend additional

£120m 

Roman Abramovich will authorise a £120 million spending 

spree in an effort to prevent Chelsea’s season from imploding,

 with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain first on his list.

But, according to the Mirror, Abramovich is ready to try and

 change the mood at the club and will provide Antonio Conte

with the three signings he wants. The Blues made a woeful

 start to their Premier League title defence, losing 3-2 at home

 to Burnley, a result that drew immediate comparisons with

 Jose Mourinho’s ill-fated campaign.

Conte is known to want more young, English, homegrown players

in his squad (Picture: Getty)

First they will test Arsenal’s resolve to keep Oxlade-Chamberlain

 with a £35m bid, an enormous offer given that he only has 

one year left to run on his contract.

They are also pursuing deals for Virgil van Dijk, despite

 Southampton’s instance that he will not be sold this summer, 

and Leicester City midfielder Danny Drinkwater.

Van Dijk is also on Chelsea’s wish list, though is likely to cost

around £60m (Picture: Getty)

Chelsea are believed to have already had a £15m bid for

Drinkwater rejected, while Arsene Wenger has no intention 

of allowing Oxlade-Chamberlain to join a rival even if it means

losing him for nothing next summer.

The champions are convinced that a big spending spree

before deadline day can address the issues currently 

affecting the squad and provide Conte with the team he

needs to prevent another Mourinho-style catastrophe.