Antonio Conte Drops Latest January Transfer Window Hint, Wants More Involvement

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has dropped yet another hint he wants the club to invest during the January transfer window, telling reporters the Blues have yet to involve him in the decision-making process.

As reported by the Daily Mail's Kieran Gill, the Italian stressed he's happy with the players he has but would like to be asked about potential targets. Speaking on the gap to Manchester City and their impressive run, he said:

"It is better if once my club ask me what I need to catch them up then I will answer. But in a private way.

"We are in November and now we have to fight with this squad.

"I want to repeat that I am very happy to work with these players and try to do our best in this tournament.

"If one day the club try to ask me something about this topic I can give my opinion."

Pavel Golovkin/Associated Press

Conte has spoken at length about City's spending and Chelsea's need to follow suit. Per Harry Howes of the Daily Star, he made similar comments just days ago.

Ahead of Wednesday's Premier League fixture against Swansea City, he again highlighted the pressure on his squad and also said he still believes the Blues can win the title―per the report, Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has already suggested their title bid is over.

Chelsea have started their title defence in reasonable form and had won four matches in a row before their 1-1 draw against Liverpool at the weekend. As shared by Goal's Nizaar Kinsella, they've put together a similar path as they did last year so far:

But City have stormed out of the starting blocks in the 2017-18 campaign and are still undefeated heading into Wednesday's fixture against Southampton. The Sky Blues invested heavily during the summer, and their fans have been rewarded with 12 wins in 13 Premier League fixtures so far.

Manager Pep Guardiola identified the full-back position as a major weakness, and City brought in Danilo and Benjamin Mendy to address their issues. Neither player has had a big impact—the former did look impressive prior to picking up a serious injury—but their arrivals showed just how ambitious the club is. Goalkeeper Ederson and winger Bernardo Silva also required major investments, while Kyle Walker has been deeply impressive since making the move from Tottenham.

Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images

Chelsea were also busy during the summer, bringing in the likes of Alvaro Morata, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Antonio Rudiger, among others, but they reportedly missed out on some of their top targets.

According to Ben Nagle of MailOnline, Juventus' Alex Sandro was arguably the team's most wanted man, and after trying―and failing―to land the Brazilian all summer long, the Blues are already planning on yet another attempt for the full-back.

They may well need such a drastic investment in January, as the gap between them and City currently stands at 11 points, and the Sky Blues have yet to show any signs of slowing down.