Chelsea are going well in the Premier League, but the Blues in the Transfer Tavern are never satisfied…

Conte has led his side fantastically this season, and whilst they have arguably been perfect in recent weeks – anything can happen in the Premier League.

The Italian so often speaks about ‘work’ as he looks to get the best out of his players, but as is so often the case, limitations often come in the form of the players themselves – and sometimes even work cannot get good form out of them.

In the short term, Conte has been able to bring together a group of players, some of which are arguably of a lower calibre, and turn them into world class players – but in the long term, he needs to improve the personnel at his disposal.

There are a host of players that the Italian should be looking at this January as he looks to build towards a title challenge, and if Conte wants to ensure progression in the seasons to come – he needs to get these deals done sooner, rather than later.

With that said, it’s time for Conte to complete deals for these 2 next week for Chelsea…

Virgil van Dijk

Virgil van Dijk is one of the most sought after names in the Premier League, with a host of the punters in the Transfer Tavern hoping that their side will be the club to land the impressive Dutch defender.

As is so often the case at St Mary’s, Southampton have built a decent player into a world-class star – and van Dijk is, arguably, one of the Premier League’s best defenders at present.

Chelsea have impressed defensively, but beyond John Terry, the Blues have very little defensive depth – and Conte would be wise to look towards van Dijk as a possible alternative.

Neither Gary Cahill or David Luiz are likely to impress on a long-term basis – and van Dijk would be a fantastic solution.

Ricardo Rodriguez

Chelsea’s defence has been good, but Marcos Alonso has been touted in the Tavern as the weak point – having been exposed a number of times this season against some of the Premier League’s better sides.

As a result, it would make sense for Antonio Conte to possibly look at replacing the Spaniard, and Ricardo Rodriguez would be the perfect player for that.

Offering dynamic attacking play and stellar defensive work, Rodriguez would be a great option on the left-hand side of the Chelsea defence, either as a full back or wing back, and crucially he would give Conte another option in that position.