5 Players Who Should Have Caught Chelsea Boss Antonio Conte's Eye at Euro 2016
It seems Antonio Conte has been impressed by what he has seen in France this summer.
While away on international duty with Italy, the new Chelsea coach will have seen plenty of talent on display at Euro 2016. And now reports are emerging that the Blues are close to signing Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi.
Sky Sports reports Chelsea have beaten a host of Premier League clubs to sign the Marseille man, and a deal could be confirmed imminently.
The 22-year-old scored his first goal of the European Championship against Hungary, coming off the bench to link up with Eden Hazard and notch his country's second on the night in a 4-0 win.
Perhaps Conte saw that combination with Hazard and it whet the appetite for how effective the Belgian could be in the Premier League?
So who else could have gotten Conte's imagination running wild at the Euros this summer? Bleacher Report takes a closer look.
Dimitri Payet
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Had it not been for Payet, France's story at their own European Championship could have been a much different one. Instead, the West Ham United man has stepped up to become one of the key players in Didier Deschamps' side while some bigger names haven't quite lived up to their billing.
From his match-winning strike against Romania in the opening fixture, Payet has been one of the best players at the tournament. Now, West Ham will have a tougher time keeping him in east London.
Payet only signed a new contract last season—six months after he joined the Hammers, such was his impact—yet his form in a French shirt is making him a much more sought-after player. If this continues, Europe's biggest clubs aren't going to take no for an answer.
Not only is Payet an expert when it comes to set pieces, but he has the ability to change games at any moment from open play. He brings those around him into the reckoning and is individually talented enough to breeze past opponents and expose defences.
How far France go at Euro 2016 will be largely determined by Payet.
Toni Kroos
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There isn't another player who has made more passes at Euro 2016 than Toni Kroos. Why is that important? Because it shows how the Real Madrid midfielder keeps Germany ticking over.
Kroos may be a well-known figure in European football already, but there is a sense he doesn't quite get the accolades he deserves. He is a supreme footballer, and his ability to do the simple things in midfield so effectively allows everything around him to function properly.
Of the 449 passes he made by the end of the last-16 stage, Kroos had completed an impressive 93 per cent. It's the sort of consistency that every top side requires. It means teams can maintain possession and dictate the tempo of matches in doing so.
That's something Chelsea will need to do next season, and Antonio Conte will be eager to add a midfielder of significant quality who can shoulder that sort of responsibility alongside Cesc Fabregas and not feel burdened by it, either.
Conte will come face-to-face with Kroos when Italy take on Germany in the quarter-final. As good as the Germans are, we suspect Conte would have an even tougher fight on his hands if he tried to tempt Kroos away from European champions Real Madrid this summer.
Gylfi Sigurdsson
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England fans know all about Gylfi Sigurdsson. Not only has he featured in the Premier League for four successive seasons, he was part of the Iceland team that humbled the Three Lions in the last 16.
He's not a fashionable name, but Sigurdsson does offer an ability to play between the lines and impact matches in the final third. He does that well for his club side Swansea City, and as we've seen at Euro 2016, he is just as effective for his country.
Sigurdsson is similar to Chelsea's Oscar, only he hits higher numbers than the Brazilian. That's got a lot to do with the fact that a lot of the game is played through him, whereas Oscar is competing with other players for supremacy in that starting XI, notably Eden Hazard.
Sigurdsson has made a massive impact at the Euros, though. At 26 years old, he's entering his prime years and showing real maturity for club and country.
If Antonio Conte is looking for players who can bolster his squad, Sigurdsson has the look of a man who is not only affordable, but worth the worth the pursuit.
Graziano Pelle
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A little closer to home for Antonio Conte, he will know all about Graziano Pelle and what he has achieved with Italy at Euro 2016.
When we think of great Italian strikers, the history books will not put Pelle in the same bracket as the likes of Roberto Baggio and Paolo Rossi. When we look back at Euro 2016, however, Pelle will be recognised as one of the most effective strikers at the tournament.
What Italy's strikers lack in talent, they make up for in endeavour and tactical acumen. Pelle and his strike partner Eder have run the line tirelessly for Conte, and their efforts have helped the Azzurri get the better of Belgium and Spain.
In those two games, Pelle scored late goals to seal the wins. They were well-earned rewards for how the Southampton man had harassed and harried both sets of defenders. He didn't give the back line a second to breath, and against Spain especially, that prevented them from building momentum from the back.
We've seen Conte's Italy—a team largely without stars—show what that team ethic is all about. A striker like Pelle embodies it.
Alvaro Morata
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After three goals in the group stages for Spain, Alvaro Morata fired a blank against Italy in the last 16. That meant his country was knocked out of Euro 2016, with the Italians eventually winning, 2-0.
What Antonio Conte saw that afternoon shouldn't deter him from potentially pursuing of Morata, though. The Spaniard has shown in his two years with Juventus just what a talented striker he is. Given what Chelsea already have at their disposal, he would slit into the system well at Stamford Bridge.
Conte is likely to deploy two strikers, and Morata has everything to suggest he would fit well alongside Diego Costa. He's cute in possession, and at the Euros, he has demonstrated his intelligence with runs off the ball to exploit space.
Indeed, against Turkey, it was not by chance that Morata found himself in the right place to tap home into an empty net.
At just 23, he is one of European football's rising stars. It's a shame for him that Spain seem to be in decline, but it doesn't meant his club career should be affected.
