Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has claimed that winning the Premier League title this season under Antonio Conte will be "more special" than the last time the club lifted the trophy.
The Blues were last crowned champions under former boss Jose Mourinho in the 2014-15 campaign, but they crumbled in the following season.
Mourinho was sacked just four months into the club's defence of their title and they eventually finished 10th in the table after winning just 12 of their 38 games.
Conte was appointed manager last summer and is now just one win away from guiding the club to league glory as they have a seven-point advantage with three games left to play.
"It's hard to say because obviously in the first year I came here, I came from winning the league in Spain and straight away we won the league, so that was very nice, but this year was maybe even more special, because last year was a very bad year," Courtois told talkSPORT.
"We had a lot of critics, the new manager came in at the beginning of the season, we won some games but then we lost and there were again a lot of critics, but then we bounced back as a team very hard and we played very well.
"From that point of view I think it's very nice to hopefully be able to lift that Premier League title soon. I know we're not there yet, but we're very close and it will be very enjoyable after last year."
Chelsea will secure the trophy with a triumph over West Bromwich Albion on Friday.
Danielle Joynson
