Antonio Conte must be loving life at Chelsea right now.

His first season in England couldn’t have gone much better and only a plucky Arsenal performance denied him the double. A commanding capture of the Premier League title is nothing to be sniffed at, though.

Furthermore, the Italian has been backed by his club this summer with Chelsea spending big to ensure they don’t rest on their laurels.

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The Blues’ transfer record bit the bullet for Alvaro Morata with Tiemoue Bakayoko and Antonio Rudiger also arriving for weighty fees. It certainly displays their ambition to be the first club since 2009 to retain the league title.

And, for all of Chelsea’s sterling performances last campaign; there can be no doubting the potential areas of improvement.

Fans were left perplexed when Conte brought in Marcos Alonso and David Luiz on last year’s deadline day, but both performed fantastically in the title chase. It remains a topic of debate as to whether they can maintain such form, however.

Similar is the case of Victor Moses whose unexpected rise from obscurity begs the question as to whether he was a mere one season wonder. Even if not, is he really a potential Champions League winning full-back?

There’s two ways to look at it. Firstly, it shows Conte as being wise for seeking improvements in the transfer window but, secondly, also adds to the achievement of last year’s title win.

It seems the man himself is under no illusion that the Blues performed phenomenally for their circumstances. And when you consider Chelsea wound up in tenth place the season before, maybe there is substance to his argument.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, the 47-year-old stated: “I don’t spend money because I like to spend money. Every team has to understand their ambitions. If their ambitions are to win or fight for the title or the Champions League, you must buy expensive players.

“There has been a miracle with Leicester and us, because we won the title with only 13 players, but if you want to compete in England you have to be strong.

“The strong teams are getting stronger because they are putting a lot of money into the market.”

‘Miracle’ might be a strong word and Chelsea were no Leicester but Conte’s squad was certainly lacking depth. In fact, as per talkSPORT, the Blues had made just 31 changes to their side by April – the fewest in the whole of the Premier League.

Yet, it worked and quite spectacularly so. Conte, though, is aware that the formula might not endure and he hasn’t been afraid to chase clubs like Manchester City in terms of spending.

Nothing is guaranteed but Conte is mounting a convincing case for retaining his title.

Do you think Chelsea should be considered title favourites this season? Let us know by leaving a comment below.