Chelsea transfer news: Antonio Conte opens up on transfer dealings

Antonio Conte refused to lose sleep over Chelsea's failure to sign Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Ross Barkley in the summer transfer window, with the Ox signing for Liverpool while Barkley decided to stay on at Everton citing his injury situation.

Chamberlain was reportedly disenchanted over a move to Stamford Bridge citing that Conte would deploy him as a wing-back rather than in his desired central midfield role. Barkley also made a dramatic U-turn after being reported that the Premier League champions had agreed a fee with Everton.

In addition to Barkley and Oxlade-Chamberlain, the Italian coach also missed out on Romelu Lukaku and Kyle Walker, who signed for Manchester United and Manchester City respectively. The club also missed out on Fernando Llorente on deadline day, with the Spaniard opting for Tottenham.

However, they ended their deadline day on a high with the club announcing the deadline day arrivals of Danny Drinkwater and Davide Zappacosta late into the night. Zappacosta will provide competition to Victor Moses in the wing-back role while Drinkwater will replace Nemanja Matic. However, Conte has no qualms over how the window panned out.

"I'm a coach," he was quoted as saying by ESPN. "I like to work on the pitch, I like to improve my team. I like to work with my players to improve my team. Then, for sure, the club asks me my opinion on players who can improve our team. But then there is the club, and they go into the transfer market to try and do their best. My work finishes on the pitch."

"I don't know if I was lucky or unlucky, but I only lived one transfer," he added. "From Lecce to Juventus. That was the past. But I remember, maybe, Berti [Giampiero Boniperti, Juventus director] the chairman called me. [Giovanni] Trappatoni didn't call me. The chairman spoke with me and also with my mother."