According to this journalist Bucchioni, Conte and Marrotta are not getting along at all, and Conte is apparently pissed because none of the promises made in May have been delivered. Agnelli is mediating between the two and trying to explain that they didn't have such budgets. Conte wanted one of Jovetic, Higuain and Suarez, but he got Tevez who has different characteristics, and he was totally against the sales of Matri and Giacch, who he believes we're not replaced. The last day dealing for Quag didn't go down well with him either coz he apparently suggested that if you can't get me who I want, I'd like to keep the ones I have. He's also apparently regretting not accepting Chelsea's offer in the summer.
Hard to say where the truth really lies, but I think there's a hint of realism in the fact that he's pissed, but I really dunno how this situation is going to resolve itself. He may just opt out of the club unless we win this season. While I don't blame Beppe for the splendid job we've done on the mercato this season, I do believe we have more money than we've spent or project to have when we talk about economical crisis in Italy.
It is true that Conte and MArotta are not in as close as they should.
MArotta has failed to get our primary targets far too many times, esp on certain positions and this has forced Conte to make huge compromises many times.
Despite the fact that Conte made it work good enough in the end, he still feels he plays with a handicap because of MArotta's incompetence.
One straight example is MArotta's inability to find a decent LB and his inability to resist signing opportunity targets for the CM and SS position in each and every transfer window.
When Conte joined us asked for a CB, two new wingers to replace kak options MArtinez and Krasic and a finisher.
We were stacked up in the midfield with a huge ammount of CMs. Because MArotta has failed again and again to get us a LB, Conte was forced to play a three man defense.
He might wanted the tactical option for a 4 man defense, to switch to a 4-3-3 or 4-2-2 for certain matches/occassion, but this tactical option is not available due to MArotta's incompetence to find a proper LB since the day he joined. Kak players like Zeglier, Peluso and whatever can be conisdered good enough as starters and while the search is limited in the peninsula only, we will never find one.
The best thing MArotta could get us is yet another pair of CMs in Asamoah and Isla, to be used as hybrid LWB and RWB, but still not eligible to be used as LBs and RBs.
So we are still suffer of the 4 man defense option.
The situation up front was unbearable, with the largest load of supportive strikers in Europe, but no finisher.
The pathetic attempts of Borriello, Bendtner and Anelka and continous failures to get any Dzeko, RVD, Higuain, really tested the huge ammount of Conte's patience!
So he demanded from our board, that our transfer department will either step up, or he will wont sign an extension.
I dont believe he really intended to leave us, but this was his best chance to try and do smth about the main issue that prevents from becoming as compeitive as we could.
And it has worked in a degree. Marotta this year managed the best mercato of his carrier.
He has signed early our priorities in the defense and the attack, of course he could better, signing Llorente a season ago and dont condemn our CL chances last year, getting the more prolific and younger than Tevez, Higuain. And get either a better than Ogbonna, but non Italian CB for all that cash, or pay less for him.
But regardless, he did good enough (apart from yet another failure in the decade long quest for the LB/LWB, for a 6th consecutive transfer window and the co own deals) job this season and our tactical options are now expanded in good measure, our finishing options now allow to hope for better luck in Europe.
Apart from the signings, there was a lot of pressure put on Marotta for his sales performance, which were horrid since the day he joined, for the common fan and maybe even Conte, who just want option avaialble, it might be much, but for the shareholders, it does matter a great deal, as they have seen far too many 25mil investments gone with the wind, provoiding no performance leaps, nor cash returns.
So Marotta really had to struggle to make a couple of decent sales as well, as the board have more say to his suit, than Conte.
Of course, everybody would officially deny such things, on the outside we need to show that we are united and eveything we do, we do with purpose and determination.
Having our coach admitting that our transfer director does not sign the players he wants and that he is wasting our budget on opportunity targets, because he can only go that offer, would hurt our iamge a great deal.
Also the morale of of our team. giacherini was a player trying really hard, we cant just publically admit, that despite his best efforts, he was too limited to succeed here, but Marotta couldnt do any better and he was desperate to find anything slightly better than Martinez to fill that slot. so Conte had to publically admit that he rates the player, he is a usefull tool and he "believes" in him.
But what would he say now, that MArotta finally got his chance to make a decent profit from one of our fillers, for the very first time with us?
That suddenly he doesnt rate the player anymore, he doesnt believe in him, he doesnt appreciate his efforts?
The coach works with these players, even if he knows about their limitations, he must show them some respect and ambition them, in order to get the best out of them.
This is how Conte have managed his epic first title with us.
He cant let MAtri, Giacche, heck even boriello knowing that he doesnt really rate them and that he knows that we cant really win the CL, because of their limitations...
What Bucchioni says was a certainty at the begining of this mercato, but we can only make guesses if it still is now.
As long as both of them are our employers, we will never know officially, only if one of them leaves, he will reveal what his true thoughts were...