Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is resigned to losing Oscar to Shanghai SIPG for a fee of £52m and admits that the emergence of the super-rich Chinese Super League is 'a danger for all'. But supporters will be relieved to know that the Italian, who has taken the club to the top of the Premier League, puts 'passion and ambition' above mere wealth.

Oscar has started only five games this season, and has been a bench player since Conte switched Chelsea's formation to 3-4-3, whereupon they embarked on their present run of ten successive victories – and will equal a club record if they make it eleven at Crystal Palace on Saturday.

The Brazilian playmaker was still training with the squad at their Cobham headquarters on Friday, but Conte seemed resigned to his departure and told reporters to expect an announcement from the club within days.

“Oscar is a really good player,” the Italian said. “For me, I was very proud to have him in my squad and have him as my player. I'm proud of his attitude, his commitment and his behaviour, which have been fantastic. I have great respect for every decision made by a single player. If you ask me, 'are you sorry?', then yes, I am sorry. I am sorry because he's leaving as a really good player and a really good man. But, also, I understand him and his decision.”

In the context of Oscar's limited contributions this season, £52m would appear an excellent price, but Conte regards the fee as a worrying sign of things to come. “For sure, this [Chinese] market is an incredible market," he said. "It's a great opportunity for all: for the coaches, also, not only for the players. They are offering a lot of money and, yes, sometimes this can [persuade] everyone. You can think also for one second, or 10 seconds, but it's very difficult not to think about it - above all if the offer is amazing, is incredible. For this reason, I think I can understand if some players say yes to this. Sometimes it's very difficult to face this situation.”

And not only for players and coaches but clubs – and even the richest in Europe. “The Chinese market is a danger for all,” Conte said. “Not only for Chelsea but all the teams in the world. But I think we must concentrate on our work, not think that in China there is a lot of money and they can arrive to take the players.



“But I think, also, that we are in the best league. Now, to arrive in the Premier League is a great opportunity for players and for coaches, to fight for the title against fantastic players and coaches. England is the best in the world if you have ambition to test yourself against the other teams.

“I think the most important thing for us must be the passion, the passion for football. If you haven't got that, it's no good. Before the money must be the passion, the passion for the sport, for football. We started to play when we were children without money, and only for the passion. Then, also, came money but the passion is more important than money, for me.”

Conte sidestepped suggestions that a large portion of the cash from the sale of Oscar might be passed on to Paris St Germain in exchange for Marco Verratti even though the Ligue 1 club are still in the Champions League.

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“I don't like to talk about players of different teams,” he said. “I think it's a great lack of respect for the player, for the club and for my players. It's important to talk in the right place about the market, about this situation.”

More pressing was the prospect of Saturday's lunchtime game at Selhurst Park. Alan Pardew, the Palace manager, had said earlier in the day that Chelsea “look unbeatable” but Conte replied that “in the world there aren't teams who are unbeatable” and suggested that the longer his side's run goes on, the harder the matches become.