Conte laughs off Costa's suggestion that he is being treated like a "criminal"

Record ID: 906900

  • Title: Conte laughs off Costa's suggestion that he is being treated like a "criminal"
  • Date: 18th August 2017
  • Summary: COBHAM, NEAR LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (AUGUST 18, 2017) (REUTERS) CHELSEA MANAGER ANTONIO CONTE WALKS INTO PRESS CONFERENCE PRESS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ANTONIO CONTE, CHELSEA MANAGER, LAUGHING AT SUGGESTION THAT DIEGO COSTA IS BEING TREATED LIKE A CRIMINAL, SAYING: "It's great, it's great, I prefer to laugh, it's great, it's great. "I can tell you that everyone who works at Chelsea knows very well what happened with him (Diego Costa) last season." PRESS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ANTONIO CONTE, CHELSEA MANAGER, SAYING: "I think (Mauricio Pochettino) is doing a great job and he created a good basis, a good foundation, for this club. I think that we must do the same because now we don't have this basis like Tottenham, this foundation. We must work a lot, we must improve a lot, and try to do the same." PRESS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ANTONIO CONTE, CHELSEA MANAGER, SAYING: "Now we need to find the right way to build, also it's right to know that we must have passion to build something important for the present but overall for the future, because now we don't have this solid foundation. For this reason we have to work very hard and to try to improve our squad." PRESS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ANTONIO CONTE, CHELSEA MANAGER, SAYING: "I think that my task is to work with my players to improve my team, to improve my players, this is my task. Then I know that the club is working and is trying to do their best in the transfer market." PRESS CONFERENCE
  • Embargoed: 1st September 2017 15:36
  • Keywords: Antonio Conte Chelsea Premier League Tottenham Diego Costa
  • Location: COBHAM, NEAR LONDON, ENGLAND, UK
  • City: COBHAM, NEAR LONDON, ENGLAND, UK
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Soccer,Sport
  • Reuters ID: LVA0016UOOK73
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: At a press conference on Friday (August 18) Chelsea manager Antonio Conte laughed off allegations made by striker Diego Costa that the club is treating him like a "criminal".
    Costa has accused the club of pricing him out of a move back to Atletico Madrid in his continuing stand-off with Conte.
    The Spanish international has not played for Chelsea since the FA Cup final in May, following which he said Conte sent him a text telling him he was not in his plans for the new season. Chelsea say that was made clear to him as early as January.
    Costa has said he was willing to see out the remaining two years of his deal unpaid in Brazil.
    Speaking ahead of Chelsea's visit to Tottenham Hotspur, Conte said he envies their bitter London rivals despite having pipped them for the Premier League title last season, saying that manager Mauricio Pochettino has built the sort of solid foundation that Chelsea need to do again after losing a number of experienced players.
    Chelsea lost their first game of the season for the first time in almost 20 years when Burnley shocked them 3-2 at Stamford Bridge last Saturday (August 12) after captain Gary Cahill and midfielder Cesc Fabregas were both sent off.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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