CONTE IN A MESS
I need 4 years to fix Chelsea, claims boss
ANTONIO CONTE yesterday made the astonishing claim that it could take him four years to rebuild champions Chelsea.
The volatile Italian won the Premier League title in his first season but believes that achievement was built on shaky foundations.
And after a summer of upheaval at Stamford Bridge, he has insisted he needs time to ensure Chelsea can challenge for major honours.
‘We need time,’ he said. ‘Four years? Yes, maybe. To arrive and try to fight for the
ANTONIO CONTE has scoffed at the claim made by Diego Costa in Sportsmail’s world exclusive interview that he has been treated like a criminal. And the Chelsea manager reiterated his stance that the controversial striker would not be granted a route back into his plans, insisting Costa is ‘in the past’, despite the club’s insistence that the Spain international must return to west London. Conte faced up to questions for the first time since
Sportsmail’s sensational interview with Costa, in which he accused his Italian manager of treating him like a criminal and vowed not to return to Chelsea even if the club continue to fine him. Costa re-opened his war of words with Chelsea and Conte yesterday by claiming the Premier League champions are pricing him out of a dream return to Atletico Madrid. But Costa’s recent verbal attack was laughed off by Conte at the club’s Cobham HQ yesterday. When asked directly about
Sportsmail’s interview, Conte chuckled before answering: ‘It’s great, I prefer to laugh. ‘I can tell you that everyone who was in Chelsea knows very well what happened last season with Diego. I’m not interested to continue this issue. For me, it is the past.’ Costa has continued his tirade at Chelsea and his manager by giving an interview to ESPN, where he accuses the Blues of scuppering his ambition to rejoin Atletico Madrid, the club he left for Stamford Bridge in 2014 for £32million. ‘I know that this (effort to price me out) will happen, but if it’s the amount that Chelsea want it won’t be possible.
‘What I know is that this offer Chelsea will get is bigger than what they paid for me, so I’ve given them something back in all senses. ‘My agent said that Chelsea want something that Atletico can’t get near. But if Atletico and Chelsea don’t come to an agreement and Atletico don’t make a big effort, I can’t keep on wanting to play for a club that isn’t going to make a bigger effort to try to sign me. ‘When we heard that Conte didn’t want me any more, my agent went to find out if there was interest from Atletico for me coming back. ‘Of course for the warmth and respect that I earned there, they showed interest. But they wouldn’t pay a fortune. Atletico is a team growing every year, a big team, but they can’t pay an extraordinary amount. ‘Chelsea have offered me to several clubs, but I was very clear with them. I said that if I’m not part of the manager’s plans, I would like to choose my destination. I’m not going to let them decide just to get more money.’ The Professional Footballers’ Association could provide an emergency solution to the escalating contractual dispute. An approach by Costa would be required to trigger a PFA arbitration role but the PFA’s position is thought to be that it will always seek to help a player who is at loggerheads with a club. The PFA was involved in resolving Luis Suarez’s contractual dispute with Liverpool three years ago when he had been denied the chance to talk to Arsenal. It is thought that chief executive Gordon Taylor and the union’s Chelsea representative would be prepared to help mediate now if there was a genuine desire to resolve the stand-off.