Diego Costa puts Conte's future at Chelsea in jeopardy

Chelsea's board of directors is unhappy with the way the coach treats the key striker and puts pressure on the transfer.

Antonio Conte recently sent a text message to Diego Costa, telling him he had no future at Stamford Bridge. The Spain international then took a screenshot of the conversation and sent it to all his teammates and senior Chelsea officials. He also publicly told the media: “Coach Conte texted me saying I was no longer in his plans.”

Conte's text messages that Costa made public to the entire football world are making things difficult for the Italian coach.

According to the Sports Mail (UK), billionaire owner Roman Abramovich and Chelsea officials are not happy with the way Conte treated the striker who scored the most goals for the team last season. Discussions at the highest level have taken place to consider whether to terminate the contract of the Italian coach. But no decision has been made.

Conte helped Chelsea win the Premier League in his first season in England, with an impressive tactical style. But this does not necessarily guarantee the 47-year-old's long-term future at Stamford Bridge. Abramovich sacked Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti after the two prestigious coaches brought success to the club. Roberto Di Matteo led Chelsea to their only Champions League title ever, but that was not enough to keep him as manager at the club. However, it is also worth noting that all three of those coaches went through a series of poor results before losing their jobs at Stamford Bridge.

Conte’s situation is different now. He has just led Chelsea from a club that finished 10th in the Premier League last season to become champions. What’s more, he has won the hearts of the club’s fans with his inspirational and passionate management style on the touchline during matches.

Conte was instrumental in helping Chelsea win the Premier League last season, just a year after finishing 10th.

But Conte has not only fallen out with officials over Costa, he has also expressed his unhappiness with the club’s transfer plans earlier this summer. That kind of relationship could have a negative impact on the board’s decision-making when discussing the future of the head coach.

Abramovich has made his views clear in the past, especially in the sacking of Mourinho in late 2015, that “No coach is bigger than the club”. Public opinion at that time was inclined towards the possibility that the players deliberately “kicked the seat” of the Portuguese strategist.

There is also the fact that Abramovich, the board and many of the players want a striker like Costa to stay when Chelsea return to the Champions League next season. The defence of the Premier League title also needs a top European goalscorer like Costa. The situation seems to have left Conte isolated, as he seems unwilling to change his mind about Costa. The striker angered him in the January transfer window, when Costa tried to force a big-money move to China. Conte then benched the 28-year-old for a number of games before returning him to the starting line-up.

The relationship between Conte and Costa since early 2017 has been on the surface, but not in the heart.

Chelsea’s top transfer decision-making group consists of owner Abramovich, senior assistant Marina Granovskaia, finance director Eugene Tenenbaum, and technical director Michael Emenalo. Conte can influence deals before they are made. But his recent text message to Costa was seen as an expensive intervention. Chelsea are estimated to be facing a $38 million loss in Costa’s transfer fee if they are forced to sell him this summer, after the football world knows the manager no longer wants him.

Conte is on holiday with his family, but the Sports Mail claim he has been at odds with the club's transfer plans, frustrated by the reluctance of those responsible to pursue players he wants for next season, including Dries Mertens, Virgil van Dijk, Alvaro Morata, Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Belotti.

Senior figures at Chelsea suspect that Conte’s unofficial agent is trying to manipulate transfers. Italian agent Federico Pastorello is believed to have approached clubs and players Conte wants to sign. Chelsea officials think Pastorello is simply hoping to speed up deals. But they also see it as unwanted interference. “It creates a power struggle that Conte probably can’t win,” the Sports Mail reports.

Chelsea, under Abramovich, have never considered the coach more important than the team.

Conte is not the type of manager to shy away from confronting the club’s hierarchy. During his three years at Juventus, he clashed with officials every summer over transfers, before leaving to take over as Italy coach in 2014. But this time, Conte may not be the one to decide whether to stay or go. Unless recent issues between the parties can be resolved, Abramovich could be looking for his 13th permanent and temporary manager in his 14 years as Chelsea boss.

But a Chelsea spokesman denied on June 16 that the club's board had discussed the possibility of sacking Conte, insisting: "We are only working to ensure that transfer targets are agreed between the board and coach Antonio Conte."

According to VNE