Conte has a dig at City & United

[sir baconface]

We could have, we could have fetched considerable sums for a lot of our players when they were in their peaks and after we'd won league titles but we're not a selling club, which is why net spend means nothing. Clubs that sell their better players will always look good in the financial books but it's really not a fair way of judging a clubs spending. Which is why Chelsea should be judged equally alongside us in terms of how much their players cost and how much they pay them and the reality is they still field a £200m+ side every weekend and their players are paid equally if not more than our players.

Net transfer spending means nothing only when you're rich enough not to care. On that criterion, you can lump the two Manc clubs and Chelsea together and separate out Tottenham.

However, it would be poor business management in any other sphere and can cover up a multitude of sins. It goes some way toward explaining why those three clubs are not much liked by other fans. Of course most Blues, including myself, are happy on balance to out-muscle others and accept the benefits, even if it rankles a bit in our heart of hearts.