Big boost for Chelsea!
Antonio Conte has revealed that striker Diego Costa will be available for selection for the Blues’ game vs Hull.
The Spanish striker returned to training this week after missing the trip to Leicester last week.
Although the official reason at the time was a back injury, it was actually because of a reported row with manager Conte.
That came combined with a massive £30million-a year offer from China, that unsettled and raised tensions between himself and the manager.
Costa worked with physios this week to recover from the back problem that was originally reported, and he will be free to play against Hull this weekend.
The Italian head coach said: “I think the player wants to stay at Chelsea. He is very happy to play with us.
“This idea (the move to China) is far in his mind. He’s happy to stay here and this is the most important thing for us.”
Asked if the forward would be at Chelsea for the rest of the season, Conte added: “Yeah. I don’t see any problem about him.
“After the game against Leicester, I told you the truth and I repeat, I heard a lot of speculation about Diego.
“But now, the most important thing is he trained with us this week and he hasn’t pain in his back and he is able to come back into our squad against Hull City.
“Diego is an important player for us. When he stays in good form, he has always played for me. We’ll see on Sunday [if he starts]. I don’t want to give an advantage to our opponents.
“Diego is a good player. He’s a good person. Now he’s only focused on Chelsea and to play with us and to continue to help us.
“He missed only one game, the last game. Now he’s ready to come back with us. I’m sure about his commitment, his behaviour, his will to fight with this team, to try together to fight to the end to try to win the title.”
By Ben Kelly – @benkelly_10
