Conte confident of Costa’s Chelsea future

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is hoping striker Diego Costa has banished rumours of any departure from Stamford Bridge with his performance against Hull City on Sunday.

The Blues went eight points clear of second-placed Arsenal at the Premier League summit courtesy of the 2-0 home win, with top-marksman Costa opening the scoring in the first half.

The Spaniard threatened the Tigers’ goal throughout the contest, and was warmly received by the home fans despite the January transfer rumour mill linking him with a mega-money move to the Chinese Super League.

And after Costa toasted his strike by making a hand gesture that indicated his rift with the Chelsea staff and desire to leave the club was ‘all talk’, Conte hopes the episode is firmly behind him.

“Honestly, I didn’t see [his celebration] because I was celebrating on the bench. Sometimes when we score its very dangerous for my staff,” he joked.

“It’s important to score a goal and celebrate in any way, Diego played a good game and I hope with his performance he finished the speculation about him.

(Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

“We showed we are a team with great unity. That’s the real value because we stayed at the top of the table.

“Diego has two years left on his contract. He’s very happy to stay with us and play for Chelsea. Now we must concentrate on the present and not look too far ahead.

“If we do that we risk losing the present, and that’s more important than the future.

“You must tell me if I did well to put Diego in the starting 11. I have to make the best decision for the team, and if he wasn’t ready to play, or my choice was bad, it’s my fault, not the player’s fault.

“He played a very good game with a good attitude. Now it’s important to rest because he used a lot of physical and mental energy. Tomorrow we have a day off and then we start to prepare for the FA Cup.”