Antonio Conte says Chelsea need two or three world-class players to compete with Man City
Both Chelsea n Conte has denied being behind report linking Conte away
Asked what Chelsea needed to do to catch City, Conte said: “Now we have to struggle to fight for a Champions League place – that is top. We must be realistic. We must be strong to accept this type of situation. Then, in the future, if there is the possibility, you have to try to buy only two or three players – not eight players. Don’t forget, this summer, we brought in eight players and spent a lot less than other teams who bought only two or three.”
Agreeing those two or three needed to be truly world-class, he added: “We have to create a basis; we have to build something important. To do this, you must have 15 or 16 players. In the summer, we changed eight players. That means you don’t have a basis, a great foundation. We must have great patience to understand the moment.
We lost strong, experienced players in the last few years, so we must have patience to understand that, now, we have to appreciate the moment, be realistic, create a basis and then build something important to face big challenges with the other teams.”
“I don’t understand why other coaches are not under pressure after a defeat in the way that you are doing with me,”
The Italian, who has only been in charge at Chelsea for 18 months, claimed Arsene Wenger had only come under similar pressure after spending “20 years” at Arsenal.
Chelsea have joined the race to sign Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti at the end of the season, claims Don Balon
Umtiti has a €60 million release clause in his contract and Barca are keen to hold talks over a new deal for the France international, so they can increase the price.
However, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid are all interested in signing the centre-back, who has previously been linked with Manchester City and Manchester United.