Antonio Conte believes there is a “great difference” between Nathaniel Chalobah and new Chelsea arrival Tiemoue Bakayoko after letting the England Under-21 international join Watford for a cut-price fee of around £5 million.

The Blues manager offered Chalobah a new lucrative five-year contract in the hope of convincing him to remain at Stamford Bridge this summer despite Watford’s interest, but frustrated some of the club’s fans when he then allowed the 22-year-old to leave for such a small fee.

When Conte, currently away with Chelsea on their pre-season tour of China, was asked whether the big-money signing of Bakayoko had sent out the wrong message to Chalobah, he issued a bullish response regarding his transfer policy.

He said: “I think, honestly, at this moment there is a great difference between the two players.

“You are talking about one player who has played with Monaco, who has maybe 100 appearances for that club. He has played in the Champions League and has played regularly. 

“Try to understand the difference before you judge. People who do, do not understand the difference.”