Over the weekend we learned that the dispute between Chelsea FC Manager Antonio Conte and soon to be former striker Diego Costa had escalated to the level of a legal matter. This bitter feud was well past the point of no return a long time ago, but that revelation of lawyers getting involved kicked it up a notch.
Well, get ready because it’s about to ramp up even further as Costa went completely scorched Earth on Conte in an extremely revealing interview for the Daily Mail.
Costa is back in his hometown of Brazil, still trying to secure his move back to Atletico Madrid. Chelsea opened the season in a total disaster, falling behind 3-0 by halftime at home to lowly Burnley, and eventually losing 3-2 as they played the final minutes with just nine men.
The Mail tracked down Diego Costa and here some of the more interesting quotes and meaningful takeaways from their revealing and scathing interview.
- Costa is prepared to sit out a season and remain in Brazil if needs be. He said he’ll play the waiting game regarding Atletico Madrid’s transfer ban, and does not see an absence as hurting his chances of playing for Spain in the World Cup.
“If I have to I will stay in Brazil. I am open to being a year in Brazil without playing, even if Chelsea fine me for a year and don’t pay me. I’ll come back stronger. If I was in the wrong, I’d go back now and do as they say. At the start of summer, they gave me an extra week of holiday. Then a week later they called to see where I was but by then the team was in Asia on tour, so I could go back and not have any contact with the boys.
“That seems a very bad and ugly life. It doesn’t respect what I have done for the club. I am here with people who love me. I want the fans to know I still care deeply about them but I’m not going back to be separated like that. I want the deal with Atletico resolved this month. My idea would be to go to Madrid, train there, get in the best physical shape and be ready to fire ahead of the World Cup.”
2. Costa has his heart and mind set on Atletico, but Chelsea want to sell him to the Chinese Super League.
“Why won’t they let me go if they don’t want me? I have to do what I have to do. I have to think of myself. I’ve been a good boy here and tried to do the right thing. My desire is to go to Atletico [Madrid]. I’ve spoken to Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia. I said, ‘If the manager doesn’t want me, I want to go to Atletico Madrid.’ I have rejected other offers.
“They want to sell me to China or other teams. The language is better for me in Spain. If I’m off, I’m going to the club I want to go to — not the club that’s paying the most. Diego Simeone wants me. It is very clear. I have always had a bond with him. The fans and people love me there. They respect me.”
3. Costa said a contract extension was in the works at Chelsea, but Conte squashed that. He also said that Conte isn’t as well liked as outsiders might think he is.
“In January, things happened with the coach. I was on the brink of renewing my contract and they put the brakes on it. I suspect the manager was behind it. He asked for that to happen.”
“His ideas are very fixed and clear. I have seen the sort of person he is. He has his own opinion and that will not change. I respect him as a great coach. He has done a good job and I can see that, but as a person, no. He is not a coach who is very close with his players. He is very distant. He doesn’t possess charisma.”
Read the entire Daily Mail exclusive over at this link.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV.
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