Football
Liam Twomey, Chelsea correspondent 8y

Chelsea's Cesc Fabregas still remains part of Antonio Conte's plans

LONDON -- Antonio Conte insists Cesc Fabregas remains an important part of his first-team plans, despite leaving the midfielder out of his starting XI for Chelsea's first four Premier League matches of the season.

Speculation surrounding Fabregas' future at Stamford Bridge has intensified in recent weeks, with Conte favouring Oscar alongside Nemanja Matic and summer signing N'Golo Kante in a new-look three-man midfield.

But asked at a news conference if he would consider selling Fabregas in January, Conte replied: "No, no, no. Cesc is in my plans and in Chelsea's plans. We all know Cesc is a fantastic player. I see him in every training session with a great attitude. If he continues in this way, it'll be very difficult for me to choose my midfield.

"But I want this from a player, putting many doubts in my mind over choosing someone else. Cesc is a great player. We all know Cesc, a great technical player. Now I'm starting to get to know him as a man. A great personality."

One Chelsea player who has put a summer of transfer speculation behind him is Diego Costa, who has scored four goals in as many Premier League appearances under Conte this season to top the goal-scorers' chart with Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and West Ham winger Michail Antonio.

But Costa has also earned three yellow cards -- two for dissent and one for a late tackle -- meaning two more bookings in the Premier League before Dec. 31 will earn him an automatic one-match suspension under Football Association rules.

Conte insists he is not worried about the possibility of losing his top scorer, having defended Costa for showing restraint in the face of "a lot of kicks" during Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Swansea City on Sunday.

He did, however, warn the Spain international to avoid unnecessary bookings.

"Yes. He has three yellow cards, and two more is a ban," Conte said. "But I'm not worried about this. I think Diego is growing also in this situation because, in the last game, he showed a great attitude, great behaviour, despite a situation that was very difficult for him.

"But Diego, we all know him. He's a passionate man. I want him to put this passion in his football when he plays. It's important to show his passion in the right way, and he is doing this.

"Yes, I think that Diego knows [about the ban] and it's important not to get the yellow cards for strange situations. Only for a tackle, for a necessity it's good."

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