Roman Abramovich is prepared to bankroll an overhaul of the Chelsea squad if the players cannot convince head coach Antonio Conte that they can compete for major honours once again.

Chelsea owner Abramovich has largely backed his playing staff through Chelsea’s tumultuous 12 months in which he sacked Jose Mourinho and appointed Conte during the summer.

Rather than dumping the players who made the worst-ever defence of the Premier League title and failed to qualify for Europe, Abramovich and Conte agreed to give them another chance to prove their worth.