Conte committed to Chelsea despite Italy interest

London: Antonio Conte insists speculation over his job will not derail his attempt to get his struggling Chelsea side back on track in the fight for a top-four finish in the Premier League.

The defending champions need to bounce back from a humiliating 0-3 home thrashing by Bournemouth on Wednesday, which put further strain on Conte's relationship with the Chelsea hierarchy.

However, Conte, who led Chelsea to the title in a spectacular opening campaign in England last season, reiterated his intention to at least see out his contract until 2019 despite speculation he could return to fill the vacant position as coach of the Italian national team.

"I still have 18 months on my contract with Chelsea," said the Italian. "My intention, my will, my desire is to respect this contract."

Bournemouth's victory at Stamford Bridge in midweek brought back memories of Chelsea's opening day collapse at home to Burnley in an early sign that a bigger challenge awaited Conte in his second season.

"From the start of the season after our defeat against Burnley (there has been) a lot of speculation about my sacking," added Conte. "But I'm not interested in this and my only desire is to continue to work, to be focused on my team to try to do the best with this team."

Chelsea's squad was bolstered by the arrival of Olivier Giroud and Emerson Palmieri on the final day of the transfer window, but Conte doesn't expect either player to be fit enough to make an immediate impact.