Costa says Conte lacks Charisma
EXILED Chelsea star Diego Costa has
given a withering assessment of head coach Antonio Conte and accused the
Premier League champions of treating him as if he were a ‘’criminal’’.
Costa was Chelsea’s top scorer with
20 goals as they secured a second league title in three years last season but
Conte has since informed the Spain international he does not feature in his
first-team plans.
The manner of this rejection
provides a major flash point in the current stand-off, with Costa claiming
Conte dumped him via text message when he was away on international duty in
June.
Chelsea maintains the 28-year-old
forward has been aware of their plans since January, around the time he was
heavily linked with a move to Tianjin Quanjian in the Chinese Super League.
The upshot is Costa going AWOL,
back to his hometown of Legato in Brazil, where UK newspaper the Daily Mail tracked him down at his
family home while watching the Blues’
shock 3-2 defeat to Burnley.
A return to former club Atletico
Madrid remains the desired option for Costa, who is presently racking up fines
as he refuses to return to Chelsea and train with the reserves.
‘’I wouldn’t be allowed access to
the first-team dressing room and I would have no contact at all with the guys,”
he explained. “I’m not a criminal! I don’t think it is fair after all I have
done to be treated like that.
“They gave me week extra off [at
the start of pre-season training] but since then it’s fines all the way.
“They want me training with the
reserves. I am not going to do that. I am not a criminal and I am not in the
wrong here. So, if they need to fine me, let them fine me.”
Atletico’s player registration ban
would prevent Costa from playing for them until January but the forward is
willing to remain out of action for as long as it takes his Chelsea ordeal to
play out.
“I am open to being a year in
Brazil without playing, even if Chelsea fine me for a year and don’t pay me,”
he said.
“I’ll come back stronger. If I was
wrong, I’d go back now and do what they say.
“My desire is to go back to
Atletico. I’ve spoken to Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia. I said ‘’ If the
manager does not want me, I want to go back to Atletico Madrid’.
I have rejected other offers. They
want to sell me to China or other team. If I’m off, I’m going to go to-not the
club that’s paying the most.
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