Watford vs Chelsea: Antonio Conte admits Stamford Bridge overhaul remains a work in progress

The Italian had hoped to have strengthened the squad he inherited with at least five new signings

Antonio Conte dives into the Stamford Bridge crowd during the victory against West Ham (Getty)

Antonio Conte admits the planned overhaul of his Chelsea squad remains a work in progress but insists he will not press the club’s board to meet the excessive demands of selling clubs in an inflated summer market.

The Italian had hoped to have strengthened the squad he inherited with at least five new signings but so far only two new faces – N’Golo Kante and Michy Batshuayi – have arrived at Stamford Bridge.

Still featuring on Conte’s wish-list are defensive reinforcements – notably a centre-back and left-back – and an additional forward but Chelsea have been frustrated in their efforts to deliver the head coach the players he wants.

A £42 million move for centre-back Kalilou Koulibaly was rejected by Napoli who are now keen for the player to sign a new contract with a £60 million buy-out clause. Similarly, Chelsea’s interest in bringing Romelu Lukaku, the forward, back to his former club have so far been stalled by Everton’s £65 million asking price.

Conte is undoubtedly keen to revive a group of players who stumbled so alarmingly last season in the wake of their Premier League title success, but not, he insists, at any price. “At this moment it's very difficult to buy because, also, if you ask a player of the medium level, they might ask for £55m,” said the Italian.

“For this reason, it's a crazy market. It's very difficult to enter the market with these prices and in this condition.

“I'm not comfortable. I don't like to pay a lot of money. If a player deserves us to pay lots of money, then it's right. But for a medium player, it's right to pay the right price, not £20-30m over. That's not right. The money is not mine, but I don't like it the same. I don't find it right. That is why we are waiting for the right situation. We must be patient and wait. Not only for Chelsea. I saw also with the other clubs, it's very difficult to have a good market. But now it's a real situation. We must live with this situation in the right way.”

With Baba Rahman having joined Schalke on loan and Kenedy’s future under Conte looking far from certain, the head coach is also keen to bring in a left-back to provide competition for Cesar Azpilicueta. He added: “We need to sign some players. We are now a few players down, in the defence. We only have a few players. But we are working together, me and the club, to find the right solution.”

Conte faces a reunion at Vicarage Road with Walter Mazzarri, the Watford manager, with whom he shared a frosty relationship when the pair worked in Serie A. A spat over Conte’s decision to set up his Juventus side in a way that mirrored the Mazzarri’s Napoli proved the catalyst for a long-standing feud, but the Chelsea man insists that is now in the past.

“I think that if you have a good relationship it's better,” said Conte. “I think this... but also, we know that I put my work against the work of another manager. That is the challenge, and I want to win. He wants to win as well. But I prefer to have, always, a good relationship with the other manager. After the referee's whistle at the end of the game, this challenge is finished. There is a win (for one of us). I hope it's me, but we know that it can be different.”