Antonio Conte issues brutal response to Diego Costa's claims that ex-Chelsea boss is a 'very bitter guy' who 'doesn't have sex at home'

The war of words between the two fiery characters has reignited ahead of a high-profile Champions League clash. Conte, now in charge of Napoli, was asked about his former striker's comments during a pre-match press conference ahead of facing his old club, Chelsea. The Italian coach refused to get drawn into a detailed debate regarding his personal life but delivered a withering assessment of the intellect of those criticising him.

"Honestly I'm not a person to lose energy reading what the people say in the paper," the 56-year-old said. "I know very well that around football, there are intelligent people, clever people and stupid people, so I don't lose my time to spend my time to read intelligent people or stupid people."

Conte then moved to dismantle the narrative that he was solely responsible for the breakdown in their relationship, claiming that the Spain international was constantly looking for an exit door even while they were lifting the Premier League trophy together in 2017.

"Diego Costa played with me one season, so I can talk about the football," the manager continued. "I think we won together the league and he wanted to go away three times the same season. I know this. After Chelsea, I don't know what happened to him."

The Italian’s dismissive rebuttal came in response to extraordinary comments made by Costa on the Obi One Podcast, hosted by former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel. The striker, who scored 20 league goals under Conte during the 2016-17 season, did not hold back in his assessment of the coach's personality. While acknowledging Conte's ability as a tactician, he launched a bizarre and personal tirade regarding the manager's demeanour and private life.

"Look, Conte's OK as a professional coach," Costa told the podcast. "But as a person, he's the worst thing you can have on a daily basis. It's very bad. He's a person who doesn't trust others, he thinks he knows everything. You don't enjoy training with him. He's always angry, always with a long face. He probably doesn't have sex at home because he's a very bitter guy."

The forward claimed that the atmosphere at the Cobham training ground was toxic, suggesting that the manager’s intensity made life miserable for the squad despite their success on the pitch.

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The feud stems from the notorious end to Costa’s Chelsea career in the summer of 2017. Despite firing the Blues to the title, the striker was informed he was no longer needed via a text message from the manager - a moment that has gone down in Premier League folklore. Costa revealed the contents of that exchange to Mikel, claiming the manager had been waiting for the opportunity to discard him.

"I sent [him]: 'Boss, I want to know if you will count on me next season,'" the forward explained. "He replied: 'Diego, thank you for everything you have done, but I'm not counting on you.' He waited for a moment like that. He had the fans on his side too."

The striker claimed he immediately forwarded the message to Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia, who was reportedly shocked by the manager's conduct. "I sent the message to Marina and she immediately told me what he did could not be done," he added.

While Conte insists that the player was agitating for a move throughout their sole season together, Costa maintains that he would have been welcomed back by his teammates had the manager not been an obstacle.

"It's a shame because I was very happy in Chelsea, but I did not want to cause a problem at the club," Costa reflected. "If I came back, the players wanted me to come back but nobody liked him. That's why he didn't last long."

The forward eventually returned to Atletico Madrid, while Conte remained at Stamford Bridge for one more season, winning the FA Cup before being dismissed.