Antonio Conte has revealed what must happen to open road for David Luiz’s deparature in January

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte believes that the west London club should sign players before letting anyone leave.

The Italian manager has been critical often to the board for the size of his squad, with the Blues currently competing in four fronts.

And with the January transfer window already opened, the former Juventus manager believes signings should be made before allowing any player to leave.

“Our squad is not big. For this reason I think it’s impossible to send on loan one player or to sell one player, if we don’t take another player,” Conte said.

Chelsea play against Arsenal tonight at the Emirates and Conte’s men could return to the second place with a potential win.

However, David Luiz’s future at the club remains the subject of constant speculations.

The Brazil international hasn’t played since October but could return in action against Norwich in the FA Cup on Saturday.

He’s suffering from a knee injury, but now Andreas Christensen is the first choice in the heart of defence.

Conte would not be drawn on whether Luiz would stay at Chelsea by the closure of the transfer window, speaking generally, rather than specifically.

Conte said: “I’m very happy to work with these players, I trust these players. I don’t see a problem. At the same time I understand if some players are not playing with regularity and want to play with regularity.