Thanks to a very revealing Daily Mail interview with Diego Costa, we all know exactly what went on between Antonio Conte and the Spain international, and how Chelsea have dealt with the situation since.
However, it isn’t the first time a player has been pushed out of Stamford Bridge by the Italian manager.
John Obi Mikel, who eventually left Stamford Bridge to sign for Tianjin Teda back in January, never made an appearance under Conte, and was frozen out of his squad altogether.
Forced to find a new club, the Nigeria international was, according to a former Chelsea youth player, treated ‘worse’ than Diego Costa by the former Juventus manager.
Speaking to OwnGoalNigeria, Emmanuel Sarki, who left Stamford Bridge back in 2010, said: “I was told how Conte treated Mikel after his decision to represent Nigeria at the Rio 2016 Olympics. He was granted permission to go by Conte under one condition, which was ‘you might not get a look in upon your return’.”
The 29-year-old then went on to explain Nigeria’s manager ‘pleaded’ with Conte to allow Mikel to play in the club’s reserves in order to keep some fitness, but the manager even refused that request.
Unable to say goodbye to fans who saw him develop over 10.5 years and 381 appearances at Chelsea, the former FK Lyn starlet eventually left through the backdoor on a free transfer.
Maybe he’ll get a testimonial down the line, although we wouldn’t recommend holding your breath for that either.
