Former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has described the club’s 2016/17 Premier League triumph as an unexpected success, insisting his team entered the campaign as “underdogs”.
Conte made the revelation while reflecting on his time at Stamford Bridge in an interview. He pointed to Chelsea’s transfer business that summer, arguing that the club did not make the kind of high-profile signings that attracted widespread attention.
Chelsea brought in David Luiz, Marcos Alonso and N’Golo Kanté, with Conte revealing that the club’s hierarchy repeatedly questioned whether Kanté was the right player for the team.
“The club asked me 10 times if I was sure about him,” Conte said, explaining that the French midfielder did not fit the traditional physical image associated with a Chelsea player.
Conte admitted he also had initial doubts about Kanté’s physicality when he first saw him but said he was convinced the midfielder possessed the quality to succeed at the highest level.
Kanté ultimately became a central figure in Chelsea’s title-winning campaign after joining from Leicester City, having helped the Foxes win the Premier League the previous season. He was later named the league’s Player of the Season.
Conte’s Chelsea won the 2016/17 title with 93 points, finishing seven points ahead of Tottenham Hotspur. They also set a Premier League record at the time with 30 victories in a single season.
