Chelsea manager Antonio Conte says his players are determined to challenge for the Premier League title this season.

The new boss has had over a week with his squad now, during which time he has repeatedly expressed his satisfaction with his players’ efforts in these early days of pre-season, reports the Chelsea website.

Conte is looking forward to the upcoming Premier League campaign insists that the Blues need to fight back to claim the title.

‘We must come back after a bad season, after the 10th place,’ Conte said.

‘We need to come back very soon in the right position because Chelsea is a great team in England and in the world, and it is right that we must come back to fight for the title.

He added: ‘I know it’s not simple because there are many strong teams in England, but I am confident because we are working and I see the players with a great identity.

‘The players want to come back very soon to fight for the title. For me this is the most important thing.’

The 46-year-old manager believes that if Chelsea wants to be the Premier League champions again, it would require an immense collective effort from everyone at the club.

‘Usually when there has been a bad season it means that there are many problems, not just with the players or the manager, but the past is not important for me or the players,’ he said.

‘What is important is the present, to work very hard all together. We know we have to fight together to come back to fight for the title. This is what the club wants, what the players want, what I want and what the fans want.

Conte added: ‘It’s important we stay together and overcome this bad period for Chelsea and come back also to play the Champions League, because the Champions League is Chelsea’s home.

‘We know this and we are trying to work hard to come back very soon. I want our fans to be very proud of the players, of the manager and of the club. It’s very important.’