Chelsea boss Antonio Conte believes his side remain the team to beat ahead of the start of the 2017-18 Premier League season.
The Blues claimed a second title in three years in Conte’s first season in charge, finishing seven points clear of Tottenham after winning 30 of their 38 matches.
Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City in particular have invested heavily in their squads ahead of what promises to be a fiercely contested title race next term.
But although he has warned his players against becoming complacent, Conte feels they deserve to start the season as favourites.
“For sure; we won the Premier League title last season,” he told a news conference. “This season will be tough. You know what has been happening in England. Chelsea won in 2014-15 and then Leicester City won the league. So we must be careful and not take any team lightly.
“It is normal that every big team tries to reinforce their squad by bringing in quality players. That is what they have done. For sure, next season in Premier League will be a huge challenge for us.”
Chelsea have brought in Alvaro Morata, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Antonio Rudiger and Willy Caballero during the transfer window at a reported combined cost of close to £130million.
Despite the significant outlay, Conte has warned that his new signings will need time to adapt to his methods in England’s top flight.
“It is very important for players to understand my football and adapt,” he said. “Bakayoko needs some time to understand my football and this is the great difficulty for a coach. You need a bit of time to bring the player into your idea of football.
“It is the same for Morata. He is working very well and is putting himself into every session. I think it is very good but it is important for him to have some time to adapt to our system. But I can see the will power in the player to do so.”
Conte faced criticism this week for accusing young players of being “impatient” while allowing a number of Chelsea youngsters to leave Stamford Bridge.
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