Diego Costa Reflects on Chelsea Tenure and Antonio Conte

Diego Costa spent two seasons at Chelsea before the arrival of manager Antonio Conte. He secured his first Premier League title under José Mourinho, but the subsequent season was marked by a dismal championship defense, leading to Mourinho’s dismissal and a tenth-place finish for the team.

The former Spain international quickly became a fan favorite at Stamford Bridge, known for his impressive goal-scoring ability and fiery demeanor. He netted 20 goals and was named in the PFA Team of the Year during the 2014-15 season. After a frustrating 2015-16 campaign, Conte took over and introduced his signature formation, guiding Chelsea to an astonishing 13 consecutive victories, establishing them as title contenders. The team ultimately finished atop the Premier League, seven points ahead of Tottenham Hotspur, suffering only two more losses after an early defeat.

However, Costa and Conte’s relationship was fraught with tension, culminating in Costa rejoining Atlético Madrid during the January transfer window of 2018. In January 2017, Costa was excluded from Chelsea’s squad for an away match against Leicester City after a reported disagreement with a fitness coach, which escalated into a confrontation with Conte. At the time, Costa had been offered a lucrative £30 million-a-season contract from a Chinese Super League club, which led Conte to allegedly shout, “go to China,” during their dispute.

Although the transfer did not materialize, Costa was reintegrated into the first-team and played a crucial role in helping Chelsea win another league title. At the end of the season, Conte reached out to the Chelsea squad via text to wish them well for the summer, but Costa’s lighthearted reply was met with a curt message from Conte, stating, “you are not in my plan.”

This prompted a summer of speculation that ended with Costa returning to Atlético Madrid, though he was unable to play until January 2018 due to a transfer embargo imposed on the club.

Recently, in a preview of an upcoming episode of John Obi Mikel’s podcast, Costa reflected on his time at Chelsea and his experiences with Conte. He noted that many of his teammates were unhappy under the current Napoli manager, stating, “He is a person who doesn’t trust others. He thinks he knows everything. You don’t enjoy training with him; he’s always angry and has a long face. The players wanted to come back, but nobody liked him, which is why he didn’t last long. The past is the past.”

Costa elaborated, “For me, Mourinho was the coach I enjoyed the most because he brings joy to training.”

During his second stint with Atlético, Costa scored 19 goals in 81 appearances, contributing to the club’s La Liga title in 2020-21, as well as triumphs in the Europa League and UEFA Super Cup, although his contract was terminated by December of that season. Afterward, he returned to Brazil to play for Atlético Mineiro before moving to Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he scored only once in 25 appearances. He later played for Botafogo and Grêmio, with his contract at Grêmio set to expire in 2024. As of now, the 37-year-old has not officially announced his retirement from competitive football.

Meanwhile, Conte remains in charge at Napoli amidst criticism following a 1-1 draw with Copenhagen in the Champions League, where they failed to capitalize on a numerical advantage after a red card to Thomas Delaney. Midfielder Scott McTominay described the result as “unacceptable,” as the Serie A side now faces a challenging path to the knockout stages, sitting 23rd in the table with only eight points.