let's hope we can squeeze £40m odd from milan. Let them deal with him wanting to leave at every opportunity. 

When mourinho was sacked alot of of feared we wouldn't be able to find a manager as good, but we did, and in many ways he's better. 

He scored goals that have massively contributed to 2 titles. There's no denying he had a positive impact. He missed the run in through injury in 2015, and he was pretty woeful in the run in this season, but the team pulled through. In the 2 champions league campaigns he played with us, he was fairly average. 

He is more than replaceable. 

When he threw the bib at mourinho, that was it for me. It was awful. I think it spoke volumes about how low on confidence mourinho was at the time, that costa wasn't completely hung out to dry, and that lack of authority was the beginning of the end for mourinho imo. 

We will all be grateful for the good times, but I'm more than happy to go our separate ways.

The quotes out today are nothing short of embarrassing. Costa's played his last game for us then, and he'll be a very difficult player for us to replace.

Looking at squad selections & the way Conte used his substitutes this year it seemed like Costa was his main man offensively. Even consistently withdrew Hazard before him if ever we needed a change of attack - that suggests faith in the player to me, so quite surprising if its true Conte/Chelsea are now (possibly again) trying to force him out the door.

Regardless, Costa's made no secret of not enjoying his life off the pitch as much as he did in Madrid. Fair enough, but there's ways and means of expressing a desire to leave, and it has to be done internally. Unless the club has been royally stabbing him in the back these quotes are (again) so unprofessional.

Really disappointed to see this today, sour note to kick off a goodbye to our best striker since Didier.

12 hours ago, Chelsbear said:

Because we have been heavily linked with his replacement, he no longer wants to be here and was counting on a move.

I don't know what goes on in Costa's head but merely said I doubt Conte would simply send a text to one of his, players saying that as he is a classy guy and wouldn't risk a squad mutiny as it's obvious Costa is one of the teams most popular characters 

This is an interesting article ...............

 

http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/814575/Chelsea-News-Diego-Costa-Antonio-Conte-text-message-rumours-gossip

Edited June 8, 20179 yr by Osgood is Good

3 hours ago, Blueborn94 said:

I know many of you will disagree with me but I am so angry with this news...

Costa is perfect for Chelsea, I wouldn't say his been our 'drogba' replacement but costa gives so much to our team, he is much more than just goals, he holds the ball up well, his aggressive, defenders are scared of him, that's exactly what drogba did! 

IF lukaku is costa's replacement then we are in big trouble, I hope conte has a good reason for this.... I hope he brings in morata and lukaku 

Diego being Diego should not surprise any of us, yet this public airing of dirty linen, unlike the one that took place during the post title-winning celebrations, is not a pretty sight for Chelsea fans. Let's face it, he has always had a penchant for winding everybody up and that includes those of us who would never hear a bad word said against the guy. For many he will always be remembered for revelling in the role of Premier League arch villain, but the fact that most of us will be calling for two strikers to be brought in to replace him says it all about the weight of lone striker load he's carried for the team over the last three seasons. I'll miss him when he's gone and I've got a grandson who will be even sadder to see him go, whenever and wherever that may be.

Indeed, timing is everything when it comes to Costa's acting career and he has probably seen fit to give this soliloquy after a textual prompt from a boss who cannot really leave the restless, foot-tapping Lukaku waiting in the wings, a-nodding and a-winking, for much longer. He, understudying alone, will not convince the majority of fans that this is a problem solved and I for one hope our interest in Alvaro Morata is not only genuine, but boardroom-committed enough to see him arrive at the Bridge instead of pitching up at Old Trafford. Both Jose and Antonio will believe they can personally influence the Spaniard's decision-making over and above any financial aspect, so it will be interesting to see if money talks sufficiently loudly at a time when United cannot wait to spend as much of it as it takes to get somebody (anybody?) in to replace Zlatan. It would appear, despite stage right direction from his agent, that Chelsea was Lukaku's preferred choice in a head-to-head contest with United and it remains to be seen if Morata follows suit.

Indeed, it seems that gone are the days when Jose could be counted upon to rustle up a Drog or Diego to spearhead a campaign and he will be desperate to show that Zlatan was not the [somewhat ancient] last knockings in that particular line. After an apparent Lukaku rebuff, the need for a Special One transfer coup is undoubtedly greater that Conte's, so it would be a real body blow if the Italian could land a Lukaku/Morata double-whammy.

Simply put, he's been our best striker since Drogba, Anelka was class, but we've had the hapless Torres, as well as other bang average strikers. No doubt, Diego is frustrating and his personality tends to split opinion, I had nothing against his behaviour during the celebrations though. I think it's sad that some attacked one of our own for simply enjoying himself, maybe he's a little immature, that isn't a crime.

As for his on pitch behaviour, at times his behaviour has stifled us, but at other times he has led by example with his passion and aggression and we have looked weak without him. At the end of the day, he has played a major part in us winning two Premier League titles and we wouldn't have won them without him, only Drogba can better that. It's sad that the end of his Chelsea career is ending in this mess, maybe he's lying about Conte, to transition a move for himself, I don't know. I guess it wouldn't be Diego, if him leaving wasn't a fiasco, it's a shame, but good luck to him in the future and good luck to the team that signs him, you'll need it. 

My guess (and its a pure guess) is that the plan all along this season, well since the bust up,  was to sell Costa this summer and bring in Lukaku/Morata. He wasnt the same player in the second half.

I then think Costa had a change of heart and decided he wouldn't mind staying bar a return to Atletico. This has obviously irked the board/Conte because they were probably weighing in a big sum from China and possibly agreed fees with the replacement. In this instance Conte has probably stood firm and doesn't want a drawn out Saga and told Costa exactly where he stands. Fair play to him. Strikes me as aman that one minute wants to Go, next minute wants to stay and its hassle we dont need.

I say Conte made a huge mistake letting Costa know his doom, regardless whether the club cleared him to do so or not. with him letting everyone in the footballing world know the situation, it would only make his valuation fall down to the floor, when only 6 months ago he could've fetched us 80million+

A lot spoke about on here about this scenario effecting value - But Lukaku came out last week and confirmed he would be leaving Everton. That hasn't effected his estimated value or asking price. So I don't agree that it necessarily follows that his value is lower than it was 10 days ago for example.

Whilst we don't know what has happened here, personally I can see 2 fairly realistic scenarios. 

Scenario 1: China came calling in January, Chelsea FC got excited at the potential money being thrown around, but told them to wait until the summer. Costa however never had any intention of going to China, and took exception to Chelsea trying to offload him to China. 

Scenario 2: Costa did initially go to China in January, but Chelsea wanted to wait until the summer. The January strop was because that move was put on hold. Now, come the summer, given changes to China league financial rules, the China offer is no longer on the table - and Costa is scratching around trying to come up with plan B. His recent statements seem to have laid the groundwork for yesterdays announcement and he appears to have been laying the groundwork for a move to athletico.  After the FA cup final he said "If the club wants to sell me, they know where I want to go" and " I have a contract and no intention of leaving, but if there are changes to be made that might reduce my chances, if the coach won't count on me anymore or is to give space for another striker, I know that I'll have to leave. But only to where I'm willing to"

Then Athletico said they would only pay 20mill  - but shock horror, they lost their appear against the transfer ban. 

Yesterdays announcement by Diego is just an extension of those comments after the cup final. effectively, he laid the ground work saying he would leave if conte did'nt want him, and now he has confirmed conte did'nt want him and will leave, and has said we must sell him for a bargain price. 

Whatever happened with the China move, and who initiated that, it seems clear he has wanted to leave for a while, especially given what he told Conte when conte first joined.  The guy is a good scorer, but is inconsistent, stroppy and unreliable. I also find his persona distasteful, and as i said in a post a couple of weeks ago, his behaviour (pretending to shag the prem league cup , pretending to shag the kit man and f**king about with fire extinguishers during a Conte press conference) is distasteful and a poor reflection on our club.

Get rid, but Chelsea need to tread carefully here, as they could end up losing an  valuable asset for a relatively low price.

Extremely hard to replace. I hope the club has a plan.

I wonder if the Lukaku deal is done (barring the paperwork) a gentleman's handshake. The rumours were on the websites yesterday and now Costa's made this revelation.

Did Costa get wind of the rumour Lukaku was a done deal to Chelsea?

I hope he goes to Italy, I'd love to see Costa up against Chiellini and his fellow defenders in Serie A.

Yes I also think it will be 30-40m as I think everyone will now know we want to move him on.

 

Whatever we think about Contes decision on this one it sends a signal to the rest of the lot. We finally have a manager who does not accept player power and that is exactly what we need now after years of exactly that, especially with all of the old guard gone now. I personally love how Conte has dealt with all of this even though it sucks to lose a player like Diego, but none is bigger then the club.

 

The reality is that he nearly f**ked us over during the winter window and could have cost us the title in the end, he was convinced by Conte to stay but he never really got back to the form he had pre christmas. Conte probably knew that he would ship Diego in the summer back in his mind due to that behaviour and also talks as soon as the season ended that he wanted to go to Atl Madrid in January 2018 when their ban is gone.

We can't have a player whos heart is not in it, who suddenly just gets his head turned.

 

Now if Lukaku is the man to replace him remains to be seen. 

Thanks for everything you've done for the club Diego.

If Costa's claims are true then it strongly indicates that Conte has at least one high-profile signing done and dusted. Most likely this will be Lukaku but I guess we'll find out soon enough. I'd still prefer to keep Costa, sort his head out, and get him playing as he was at the beginning of last season. Even if we have landed Lukaku, with the combined demands of the UCL and PL we would be in a far better position if we had both of them available. In any case I think this is going to be an interesting transfer window.

Has the club made an official statement yet ?

 

Didn't think so, so its all speculation until they do............... 

in no other profession (maybe another team sport) would costa's behaviour be acceptable. you are a professional and should conduct yourself as one, especially as the club (well, the fans) are paying your wages. footballers at the elite level are in a privileged position as it is, to act ungrateful about the position you're in is disgusting. there are people out there who would give anything to earn the money some of these players earn a day, let alone a week. it's the attitudes of some in football which turns me off the sport at times. the professionalism of players from years past is gone from the sport, and today they've been replaced by spoilt brats from the youth level up to the experienced players.  

Edited June 8, 20179 yr by enigma

2 hours ago, nonotnowjim said:

A lot spoke about on here about this scenario effecting value - But Lukaku came out last week and confirmed he would be leaving Everton. That hasn't effected his estimated value or asking price. So I don't agree that it necessarily follows that his value is lower than it was 10 days ago for example.

Chelsea want to sell Costa, Costa wants to go.

Everton does not want to sell Lukaku, Lukaku wants to go.

Difference.

What about this scenario.....
Costa is told he can go to AM in Jan BUT.. until then he has to put the effort in EVEN if he is second place behind Lukaku (it seems he's the likely one)
That way the club have two top strikers up to that time (which is unthinkable under normal circumstances as one or the other would never accept being second fiddle)
For the club.. Win Win :)

Don't forget, we are one of the richest clubs in the world, and if Roman gets the hump with Costa and money becomes no object, 'player power' goes right out the window.

The club then gets the going rate or he ain't for sale.... End of !!

3 minutes ago, chelseablueboy said:

What about this scenario.....
Costa is told he can go to AM in Jan BUT.. until then he has to put the effort in EVEN if he is second place behind Lukaku (it seems he's the likely one)
That way the club have two top strikers up to that time (which is unthinkable under normal circumstances as one or the other would never accept being second fiddle)
For the club.. Win Win :)

Don't forget, we are one of the richest clubs in the world, and if Roman gets the hump with Costa and money becomes no object, 'player power' goes right out the window.

The club then gets the going rate or he ain't for sale.... End of !!

Costa will never play for us again regardless. He's more than seen to that with his comments.

He may be under contract but he's not a Chelsea player in my eyes anymore 

Totally agree with the last bit.
But he may have to bite the bullet (as he has done for the last part of this season ?)

"It is understood Conte had sent an initial message detailing what he expected of the player in terms of fitness work over the summer, with the indifferent tone of Costa’s response apparently prompting a follow-up which cast doubt on the player’s future."

This is a little more believable than Conte just texting him f*ck off unprompted. You can imagine Costa texting back 'ok' rather than 'sure boss, no problem' and it sets Conte off. 

This whole 'I just want to play' shtick is annoying, as if he's the innocent victim. I love all he's done for us but we need to move forward and he's not capable of being part of that. 

I think it is much much more likely Antonio sent Diego a message Along the lines off " keep in shape this summer, you have a hard pre season ahead and I expect you to hit the ground running " 

 

To which Costa would of found it clever to reply something like " Don't tell me what to do with my holidays " 

 

and again likely Antonio will of replied along the lines of "Fine, then I will not count on for you next season" 

 

and Costa has used it as a massive excuse to force his way out the club coz he's a twat. 

 

Hypothetical of course but I can see that happening.

Please can I have my username changed ? :( 

 

 

Who would you like to be gay for now?

4 hours ago, magichat said:

I say Conte made a huge mistake letting Costa know his doom, regardless whether the club cleared him to do so or not. with him letting everyone in the footballing world know the situation, it would only make his valuation fall down to the floor, when only 6 months ago he could've fetched us 80million+

Conte didn't let everyone know.  he let DIEGO know.  To me it shows the difference in class between Conte and Costa.  Conte let his player know, in a private conversation, that he was not part of the plan moving forward and that they were likely to sell him if possible.  Direct, and honest...something most people would appreciate.  Instead, Costa took it like a baby and aired it out publicly.  

Gutted and worried about all this, city are showing intent, psg showing intent, we are f**kin up

1 minute ago, Jamjar1986 said:

Gutted and worried about all this, city are showing intent, psg showing intent, we are f**kin up

He won't play in England. 

Atletico could buy him back then loan him out until Jan? Or can they not do that with a new player? Or we agree a deal with Atletico for a jan transfer and loan him out until then.

its a bit of a mess but he clearly wants to leave this league and country