Chelsea Striker Diego Costa Admits He Was Desperate To Leave The Club In The Summer Before Antonio Conte Chat

Diego Costa has admitted he was on the verge of an exit from Chelsea before he was convinced to stay by Antonio Conte.

The striker has been in fine form for Chelsea this season and has been the goals behind the 13 league wins in a row masterminded by Conte.

Costa was rumoured to be eager to move back to Spain last summer after a difficult 2015/16 season, but he revealed Conte’s arrival changed his mind.

‘I wanted to go (last summer),’ said Costa.

Costa's season so far:

Games: 18 Goals: 14 Assists: 5‘I was about to leave. ‘There were family reasons for wanting to go back to Atletico Madrid, but it wasn’t to be and now I’m happy here. And I’m content.

‘The people at Chelsea love me a lot and the manager, Antonio Conte, told me he counted on me.

‘He is someone we can talk to, somebody whose support we can count on.

‘He is calm with the players. ‘He is not just a boss but a person too and you can see that people love him.’

Chelsea are top of the table with Costa scoring 14 goals in the top flight.

Costa was on target in their latest win over Stoke as Chelsea aim to break the record for the most victories in a row.