Diego Costa went from being a Premier League champion to a player off the team. He's been close to Cannavaro's Tianjin last January for a €107m transfer which could have make him €35m net of taxes per year. He's currently in Brazil though, spending time doing little games with friends in Lagarto to have a little fun.
He's explained about an argument with Conte in January has been decisive to the Daily Mail: "I'm waiting for Chelsea to free me. I didn't want to leave, I was happy there. But when the coach doesn't want you, you can only leave. I hope my transfer to Atlético gets resolved this month. My plan is clear: get in Madrid, train and get back in shape to get to World Cup. I'm also ready to stay a year steady in Brazil, without playing, with Chelsea who sanction me and don't pay my wages. They want me to train with the reserves, without even going into the first team's locker room. They don't want me to get in touch with my former teammates. It isn't fair, I'm not a criminal. They have given me a fine every week but the truth is that I don't care about money. They wanted to sell me to China or some other teams but I only want to go to Atlético so they don't have to pay me anymore. Why wouldn't they let me go where I'd like to?"
In the end of the interview, he also has a few harsh words for Conte: "You need to know to say things in front of someone else, not with text messages. I've received that text while on retreat with Spain, I was alone. I immediately made my teammates read it and they couldn't believe it. Conte is a great coach, I can't deny his work. But I can't say the same about his attitude, about what kind of person he is".
