Willian criticizes Antonio Conte for offloading Diego Costa

What's the story?

Chelsea winger Willian has lambasted Antonio Conte for forcing Diego Costa out of the squad. According to the Brazilian, it was a horrible and vacuous decision made by Conte.

In case you didn't know...

Signed by Chelsea in 2014, Costa scored a remarkable 59 goals in 120 appearances for the Blues, helping them to two Premier League titles and a League Cup. Due to his aggression, hunger, animation on the pitch and goal scoring capabilities, he took no time to become a crowd favorite at Stamford Bridge.

The heart of the matter

Conte sent a text message to the Spanish striker, claiming that his services were no longer required as he was not a part of the manager's plans for the upcoming season - a situation termed as a 'moment of madness' by Costa.

While speaking to ESPN Brazil, Willian said: "He also had problems with David Luiz and Costa. With Diego, I remember it was after the season. I was in Australia with Brazil and Diego texted me."

In that text, Costa had told Willian that he would leave as Conte didn't need him anymore.

"I said: 'What do you mean?' And he said: 'He texted me saying that he doesn't need me on the team anymore and I am not supposed to go back,'" Willian remarked.

"You don't lose a player like Diego Costa. It was a difficult situation," he rued.

On a personal note too, Willian found it challenging to work with the Italian mastermind.

"For me, Conte was a manager very difficult to work with. His philosophy, his way of dealing with things is very complicated," he revealed.

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Love him or hate him, you simply cannot ignore his presence. There's only one Diego Costa.

What's next?

Well, Conte and Costa have both left Chelsea but one could argue that if Costa was a part of the squad last season, the Blues would have finished higher than 5th in the league. Meanwhile, the Blues will take on Huddersfield Town on 11th August, where Willian is expected to feature.