Antonio Conte issues brutal response to Diego Costa after Ex-Chelsea star accused him of not having sex

Antonio Conte has fired back at Diego Costa after the former Chelsea striker launched a scathing personal attack on his ex-manager.

The war of words has reopened old wounds from the pair’s turbulent time together at Stamford Bridge.

Speaking on John Obi Mikel’s podcast, Costa revisited his Chelsea exit and accused Conte of handling his departure disrespectfully. He revealed a private message exchange that signalled the end of his time at the club.

“I sent [Conte]: 'Boss, I want to know if you will count on me next season.' He replied: 'Diego, thank you for everything you have done, but I'm not counting on you,’” Costa said.

The striker went on to describe Conte in harsh terms, claiming the Italian was difficult to work with on a daily basis.

“Look, Conte's OK as a professional coach. 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,” Costa added.

Conte, now in charge of Napoli, was asked about Costa’s comments ahead of his side’s Champions League clash with Chelsea and did not hold back in his response.

“Honestly I'm not a person to lose energy reading what the people say in the paper. 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 said.

He also reframed their relationship around football matters rather than personal issues.

“Diego Costa played with me one season, so I can talk about the football. 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,” Conte added.

The exchange showed onc again just how fractured their relationship remains, years after they lifted the Premier League title together.