Football
Liam Twomey, Chelsea correspondent 8y

Chelsea striker Loic Remy hoping to feature under Antonio Conte

Loic Remy says that he wants to be involved in Antonio Conte's "new project" at Chelsea and is hoping to steer clear of injuries this season.

Persistent calf injuries further restricted Remy's already limited first-team opportunities for much of last season, and the Frenchman came close to leaving Stamford Bridge in January amid significant interest from eventual Premier League champions Leicester City and the Chinese Super League.

But speculation surrounding Remy's future at Chelsea has subsided in recent months, and the striker -- who came on as a second-half substitute in Saturday's 2-0 friendly defeat to Rapid Vienna -- says that he is excited by the prospect of enjoying a healthier and happier season under Conte.

"It's good to be back and for me it's very important that I don't have any more injury problems this season," Remy told Chelsea's official website. "The preparation is very important for me, I feel really well so far but it's a long time since I played. Last year was very difficult for me because I had a lot of injuries, but this is a new page now. I hope to stay free from injuries and to have a better season.

"I feel very good. The preparations are very different to what we did last season and the one before. With the new staff we have been working very hard and even though the result against Rapid Vienna was disappointing I think we will win the next game.

"All the players want to be involved in the new project, the commitment is there and there is no reason for us not to be ready for the first game of the season."

Chelsea flew from Vienna to the southern Austrian town of Velden on Sunday for an intensive week-long training camp which will include another friendly against WAC RZ Pellets on Wednesday, and £33 million signing Michy Batshuayi has joined up with the squad to begin his preparations for the new season.

Conte has implemented double training sessions for his Chelsea players with a keen focus on the team's tactical approach, and Remy feels that the Italian's methods will begin to yield significant results before too long.

"They are very intense sessions but at the same time you have to work on the basics," he added. "It's very tactical which is good for us, because as players you need to have direction and know what to do with and without the ball. It's been very tough but all the players are enjoying working with the new manager.

"We only came back to training at the start of last week but we have to improve in every area. Now we have a game on Wednesday [against RZ Pellets] and it's important for us to get a win."

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