Antonio Conte will make a fresh plea for new signings next week after admitting he fears becoming the third Premier League champion to be sacked.

Conte has spent £130m this summer but is growing increasingly concerned that his squad is not strong enough, two weeks before the start of Chelsea’s title defence.

The Italian arrives back in England on Sunday morning and will step up his bid to sign new players, with Juventus left-back Alex Sandro, Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Bayern Munich midfielder Renato Sanches all in his sights.

And Conte has revealed he is desperate to avoid following in the footsteps of former Chelsea managers Jose Mourinho and Claudio Ranieri, who were both dismissed months after winning the league.