The Sunday Mail
CHELSEA striker Diego Costa was told in January that he would not feature in the Premier League club’s plans for the upcoming season, manager Antonio Conte said on Friday.
Costa scored 20 goals in 35 league appearances in Chelsea’s title-winning campaign last season amid local media speculation that he has an unfavourable relationship with the Italian manager.
The 28-year-old was left out of the Chelsea squad for the pre-season tour of Asia, starting with a game against Arsenal in Beijing yesterday.
“In January, the Costa situation was very clear for the club, for him and his agent,” Conte told reporters.
“I don’t to like to talk about players that don’t stay here – for me the situation is closed.”
Conte was keen to welcome Alvaro Morata into the squad after Chelsea agreed a deal to sign the Real Madrid striker on Wednesday.
Morata, a former Juventus forward, scored 20 goals in 17 starts last season, helping Madrid win a second successive Champions League title.
According to media reports, Chelsea would pay around £70 million for Morata, which would shatter the club’s current transfer record by eclipsing the 50 million they spent on Fernando Torres in 2011.
“We have added a fantastic striker, even at a young age he has won a lot already and we are looking forward to welcoming him to the squad,” Conte added.
“He (Morata) has played with Real Madrid and Juventus and has a lot of experience for the league and also in the Champions League.”
Meanwhile, Conte marvelled at the “crazy” transfer fees demanded for players, though he praised €80-million newcomer Alvaro Morata as a young but experienced striker with a bright future.
The Italian coach said Morata, 24, will be a “first choice” player for his squad in the upcoming Premier League season, a day after Real Madrid and Chelsea announced his transfer.
Conte hailed Morata’s experience playing with the Spanish giants and previously with Juventus in the Champions League.
“He’s a good striker. He’s a player with the right prospect for Chelsea. He’s very young and for sure he can improve a lot,” he told a press conference on the eve of a pre-season game against Arsenal in Beijing.
Chelsea had long been linked to a move for Everton striker Romelu Lukaku but it signed Morata after the Belgian international joined Manchester United instead for a reported €85 million.
Asked whether the price paid for Morata was fair after he had previously warned about the spending power of Chinese clubs, Conte acknowledged that “for sure this transfer market is crazy”.
“I think if you want to buy a simple player, okay, a normal player, you have to start to think to spend €40-50 million, and I think this is incredible,” he said.
Sky Sports reported earlier that Morata passed his Chelsea medical and was expected to fly to Singapore to link up with his new teammates following their tour in China.
Arsenal had a tough week with several players hit by food poisoning in Shanghai, where they played under searing heat against Bayern Munich on Wednesday. The London team won 3-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger said 21 players were fit for Saturday’s game, but he voiced doubts that Theo Walcott could play.
“I don’t think he will be ready for tomorrow but it’s nothing major,” he said.
While it is a pre-season game, Wenger promised a competitive match against Arsenal’s London rivals at the Bird’s Nest in Beijing. – Supersport
