Antonio Conte steered Chelsea to a Premier League title and an FA Cup final in just his first season at the club, but the Italian boss believes that there are underlying issues at the club that must be resolved for long-term success.
“No-one put a gun (to) my head and (said): ‘You win or you go away’,” Conte said. “The only thing I can promise is work, work, work and that I will try to do my best to improve the club.
“Sometimes you can win but you are not building something positive for your future. Sometimes you don’t win but you are preparing yourself to be better.
“We have to build a solid foundation, and in this moment we don’t have this solid foundation. Last season we started to build this foundation and we won so it means we built something.
“But now it’s not enough, so we have to improve, to extend this basis, work together with new players.”
It has been a rather strange summer for Conte, despite signing a new improved contract with targets proving difficult to snap up.
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The Diego Costa saga has not helped and there have been rumours of frictions over transfer targets, incomings, and outgoings.
Conte added: “I have still two years, this season and next season to work with this club. Then if we stay very well and we have the same vision, we continue. I don’t see any problems about the future. “I think that I stay in the right club at this point of my career.”
Asked if Chelsea share his vision, he said: “I have the vision to work. I have only this vision. Sometimes slowly, slowly, to try to improve to build something important.
“But if you ask me how long this path is, my answer is we need time. Honestly, we need time.
“To arrive and try to fight for Champions League, to try to fight to be the best in the world, you need time.”
Conte’s immediate concern will be trying to bring Chelsea’s season back on track after a disastrous start to the campaign in a 2-3 defeat against Burnley. He and his Chelsea side will get their chance to make amends this Sunday against a strong Tottenham side at Wembley. Chelsea head into the game with suspensions for Cesc Fabregas and Gary Cahill and key players like Hazard, Pedro and Bakayoko still not up to match fitness. Conte will hope that his record signing Alvaro Morata steps up and swing the match in Chelsea’s favour.
