Conte not wary of Chinese poaching
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is not wary of big-spending Chinese clubs poaching his players amid reports that a lucrative offer from Far East has unsettled Premier League’s joint-top scorer Diego Costa.
Oscar and John Obi Mikel have already left Chelsea to join Chinese Super League sides in the January transfer window, while media reports suggest playmaker Willian is also on the radar.
“I think we are a great club and it’s a great honour to play for Chelsea and for this reason I don’t see (China) as a threat for my players. The money is not everything,” Conte told the British media.
“When you play for a great team like Chelsea, you must be pleased. I have to look at the past. Oscar played with us, had a good offer from China and he went,” Conte added.
“But this league is really competitive and every player wants to come and play in this league.
“This league is the first in the world because of a lot of positive things. For this reason, I don’t think these offers from China are a threat for our league.”
Costa missed Saturday’s 3-0 win over Leicester City and Conte said it was due to a back injury, even if speculation was strife about a possible Chinese offer for the striker.
Conte said he was pleased with the way his side has responded after Tottenham Hotspur ended their 13-games winning run this month.
“When you win 13 in a row and then you arrive at the moment where you suffer a defeat, to restart is not easy,” the Italian said.
“I know this from when I was a footballer and I understand, the psychological aspect is very important.
“But I think we started very well in the FA Cup and in the league to win against a team that is very tough and with really good players and a good manager.”
Leaders Chelsea host third-from-bottom Hull City on Sunday. —
Table
P W D L GF GA GD Pts
Chelsea 21 17 1 3 45 15 30 52
Tottenham 21 13 6 2 43 14 29 45
Liverpool 21 13 6 2 49 24 25 45
Arsenal 21 13 5 3 48 22 26 44
Manchester City 21 13 3 5 41 26 15 42
Manc United 21 11 7 3 32 20 12 40
Everton 21 9 6 6 32 23 9 33
West Bromwich 21 8 5 8 28 28 0 29
Stoke City 21 7 6 8 27 33 -6 27
Burnley 21 8 2 11 23 31 -8 26
Bournemouth 21 7 4 10 30 37 -7 25
West Ham 21 7 4 10 26 35 -9 25
Southampton 21 6 6 9 19 26 -7 24
Watford 21 6 5 10 23 36 -13 23
Leicester City 21 5 6 10 24 34 -10 21
Middlesbrough 21 4 8 9 17 22 -5 20
Crystal Palace 21 4 4 13 30 40 -10 16
Hull City 21 4 4 13 20 45 -25 16
Sunderland 21 4 3 14 20 40 -20 15
Swansea City 21 4 3 14 23 49 -26 15
— Reuters.
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