‘Nobody liked him’ – Diego Costa slams former Chelsea manager

Diego Costa has taken aim at former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte, claiming the Italian was ‘always angry’ and ‘nobody liked him’ when he was at the club.

Chelsea signed Costa from Atletico Madrid for a fee of £32million in 2014 and the centre-forward quickly endeared himself to the Stamford Bridge faithful with his goalscoring prowess and doggedness on the pitch.

Costa would go on to win two Premier League titles and a Carabao Cup with the Blues. The Brazilian striker was also named in the PFA Team of the Year after scoring 20 league goals across an outstanding debut season in west London.

The working relationship between Costa and Conte got off to a promising start as they claimed the Premier League Player of the Month and Manager of the Month awards for November at the start of the 2016/17 season.

However, Costa was dropped amid strong interest from the Chinese Super League just two months later – and Conte informed the centre-forward he could leave via text message that following summer.

Costa went on to rejoin Atleti for a second spell before turning out for Atletico Mineiro, Wolves and Botafogo. But the attacker now finds himself without a club after his contract with Brazilian outfit Gremio expired earlier this month.

With his future uncertain, Costa sat down with ex-Chelsea team-mate John Obi Mikel for a wide-ranging discussion on a host of topics, from the infamous ‘Battle of the Bridge’ to his ‘idol’ Didier Drogba.

But while the full interview is yet to even be uploaded, Costa’s scathing remarks about Conte – teased in a preview video of Obi Mikel’s podcast – have already spread like wildfire across social media.

Looking back on his time with Conte, now the manager of Napoli, Costa told Obi Mikel: ‘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, always with a long face.

‘The players wanted to come back but nobody liked him and that’s why he didn’t last long. The past is the past.’

If Conte is the least favourite manager that Costa ever worked with, it appears Jose Mourinho is at the very opposite end of the scale.

‘For me, Mourinho, personally, was the coach that I enjoyed the most,’ Costa said of The Special One, currently in charge of Benfica.

‘This is because he gives you life. You come to training happy.’

Costa was also full of praise for Chelsea legend Drogba, revealing how he would meticulously study the Ivorian’s movement on the training ground.

‘Didier is an idol, he is one of the greatest in the club’s history,’ he explained.

‘He was someone that I loved watching in training.

‘I watched him from afar, I watched his movements, the way he controlled and the way he knocked down defenders.’

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