Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has admitted that the blues will have to go through a transition period in order to replace players like John obi Mikel and Branislav Ivanovic.

These two players have been the heartbeat of Chelsea over the last decade, even though they have not been spectacular during this period, they were certainly steady and helped the club go through several tough periods with relative ease. Ivanovic and Mikel were allowed to leave the club during the January transfer window. The former joint Zenit St Petersburg and quickly created history by becoming the first player to score at the new Zenit Arena, which will also be hosting Confederations Cup games.

Terry, though, will be the biggest absentee at the club next season, as the Chelsea captain has announced his departure from the club at the end of the campaign when his contract comes to an end.

Conte may be on the verge of winning the league title in his first season at the club, but he says that it will be extremely difficult for Chelsea to replace these long-standing names in the dressing room without having to go through a transition period. While the club have been able to breeze through the campaign, Conte knows that next season will be difficult due to Champions League football. It will force him to make changes in order to keep players fresh.

"I think that now at Chelsea we are in a period of transition.In this season, we have lost Ivanovic, Mikel and next season we lose John Terry. We are talking about players who wrote the history of this club.Now we have to find the right substitutes for these players and then work to put these players at the same level,” said the Chelsea manager after the 4-2 win over Tottenham in the FA Cup semi-final.