The arrival of French midfielder N’Golo Kante during the close season has given new Chelsea manager Antonio Conte a welcome selection headache.
Kante, who joined from Leicester City for a reported £33 million (Dh158m), is Conte’s second signing of the close season, following the arrival of Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi, and has brought additional quality to a midfield which includes the likes of Nemanja Matic, Cesc Fabregas and Oscar.
“N’Golo is an important player and for this reason we bought him. I can’t wait to transfer my idea of football to him and find a different solution,” Conte told the club’s website.
“The players in a great team like Chelsea must know there are many players that can play. It’s important for me to have a good choice to try the best solution game by game.”
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Chelsea have no intention of selling Matic with Conte insisting the 27-year-old Serbian is very much part of his plans for the new season.
“Matic is an important player for me, a very important player. In my idea of football he is an important player and he knows this,” Conte said.
“I am delighted with his attitude and behaviour and I see in him a great commitment.”
With Juventus making Gonzalo Higuain the third most expensive player and Manchester United set to complete the £100m signing of Paul Pogba, according to media reports, Conte said he was frustrated by the “crazy” transfer market.
“This season we are seeing a crazy market. It’s incredible ... I don’t know if this situation can continue,” Conte said.
“It’s very difficult for all the teams to try and buy the players. Now, we are starting to speak about 100m, 120m, 95m, and these prices are incredible.”
Conte will begin his tenure in England with a London derby against West Ham United at Stamford Bridge on August 15.
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