Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has claimed that his team need to get back into the Champions League because it is their "home".
The Blues finished 10th in the Premier League last season after a disastrous start to the campaign under Jose Mourinho, who was sacked in December.
Interim boss Guus Hiddink oversaw better results in the second half of the season, but it was not enough to claim a European spot.
Conte, who takes over the club following a two-year spell in charge of the Italy national team, has not only a Champions League return, but the league title in his sights.
"We come after a bad season, after a 10th-place [finish] and we need to come back very soon in the right position because Chelsea is a great team in England and in the world," ESPN quotes Conte as saying. "We must come back to fight for the title.
"I want our fans to be very proud about the players and the manager, it's very important. Usually when there are these bad seasons it means there are many problems but the past is not important for me, for the club, for the players.
"What is important is the present, we have to fight together to come back and fight for the title. It's important to stay together and overcome this bad period for Chelsea, to come back to play the Champions League, because it's Chelsea's home."
Conte has signed striker Michy Batshuayi from Marseille and Leicester City midfielder N'Golo Kante so far this summer.
Danielle Joynson
