Diego Costa has claimed his transfer to Chelsea was a mistake while also taking another swipe at former head coach Antonio Conte.
Costa was signed by the west London club in the summer of 2014 after a stellar season at Atletico Madrid and the Spain international proved to be a massive hit in the English top flight. In his debut campaign, he won the double – the league and the League Cup – before claiming another Premier League medal in his third and final season, wherein he developed an acrimonious relationship with Conte.
Despite considerable success on the pitch with the west London outfit, off-field issues with the then-Italian manager hounded his final year at Chelsea. The Spaniard fell out of favour with Conte following reported interest from the Chinese Super League in January 2017 and the whole debacle came to a close last summer when the former Juventus manager informed Costa by text message that the player did not feature in his plans next season.
The Brazil-born Spanish international then rejoined Atletico Madrid but looking back at the whole situation, Costa reveals he is still displeased with what happened. “It was a very bad moment but it wasn’t my fault. People said things, but time puts everything in its place. Look where the coach is, look at Conte. I was wrong going to Chelsea because of their way of dealing with things. Cholo is a direct coach, and when he doesn’t love you, it’s clear and he facilitates it. At Chelsea, it was the opposite.
“I had the option of returning to Atleti and when Chelsea told me to go back to training with the B team… I was clear that I was going back to Atletico, even though there were other offers. If not, I would’ve stayed in Brazil with my family. I had to live my whole life with my family. I have other values that no money can buy.”
