Branislav Ivanovic’s future at Chelsea is suddenly in doubt as Antonio Conte ponders the defensive structure of the Chelsea defence, reports The Daily Telegraph.
Conte had originally told the Chelsea board that he only wanted to sign a new centre back during the transfer window but a late change in thought led a late scramble to sign Fiorentina left-back Marcos Alonso.
It is now understood that Conte wants to switch Cesar Azpilicueta back to his natural right-back position, which would allow Alonso to gain his place on the left side of the defence.
Ivanovic, 32, has 12 months left to run on his existing deal but now faces a fight to even hold onto his starting spot for the rest of the season.
The Serbia international has been a model of consistency since joining Chelsea in 2008, although he did endure a nightmare start to the last campaign. However, despite that, Ivanovic has only committed two errors that have directly led to a goal in the last eight Premier League seasons.
For more stats on Branislav Ivanovic, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
