Diego Costa and his current manager (at least for the time being) Antonio Conte, just do not get along. Costa also didn’t get along with Conte’s predecessor at Chelsea, Jose Mourinho, as he once threw a bib at the Portugese during a match. Conte is hard-liner, and not all players will gel with that style of leadership.
Costa is a very polarizing personality, and not all coaches will coalesce gracefully with him. Just this past week, it was revealed that Antonio Conte sent Diego Costa a text message indicating that forward will not be a part of his plans next season.
Costa then publicly said something that was present to outside observers all season long- the two men just don’t get along. All the tension and conflict was well documented this past season.
Thus, you must credit both of these strong personalities for coming together enough to win the Premier League title though.
In commemoration of the special season, the Italian boss of Chelsea was presented with a special keepsake magazine recapping the special title-winning campaign. This presentation was posted on the club’s official Twitter account, and unfortunately, they caught the moment when Conte flipped to the page where Costa was present (around the 33 second mark).
Watch below and join us in saying “Awkward!” #ForzaConte
Thanks to all those who sent in messages for Antonio Conte using #ForzaConte. We put many of them in a book for the boss. He was delighted! pic.twitter.com/vwX8BsTkWe
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) June 11, 2017
We know Costa is on his way out, but it remains to be seen where. Last summer, he was linked with a move away from Chelsea, and the prevailing narrative was a return to Atletico Madrid. If that were to happen now, it would be very complicated and tricky to say the last as they simply can’t register any new players until January 2018 due to a FIFA transfer ban.
As for Chelsea replacing the goal scoring production of Costa, it’s a complicated situation as well. They want to bring Romelu Lukaku back, but he would be a very expensive acquisition, so they would need to get all their ducks in a row first.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes to WGN CLTV and KOZN.
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