Diego Costa's Chelsea future under threat after another bust-up with Jose Mourinho

Diego Costa takes off his bid before throwing it in the direction of Jose Mourinho

DIEGO COSTA'S future at Chelsea is under further threat after he was dropped at White Hart lane - and appeared to hurl his bib angrily at manager Jose Mourinho when told he was not coming on.

 

As Chelsea produced what their manager called "their best performance of the season" in gaining a valuable point, the focus was still on Costa, who did not warm up with the rest of the Chelsea substitutes before kick-off and did not warm down afterwards either.

Instead, the striker was first out of the dressing room and sat on his own on the team bus.

 

It came after the out-of-form Costa had a row with Mourinho in the Champions League win at Maccabi Tel Aviv in midweek and was then told he had to read the game better.

"If Diego wants to hurt me, it's not with a bib," said Mourinho, who could have goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois back for Saturday's game against Bournemouth after four months out with a knee ligament injury.

"I have a good relationship with him. There are no problems. I was not expecting to have a player on the bench jumping and singing because he is not playing. A top player is not happy. But his behaviour was normal.

 



Diego Costa throws his bib at his manager



"He was ready to play when he went to warm up. When I decided not to play him, he went back to his seat. He was probably eating while waiting for us in the bus.

"I didn't want to change the team. Diego is very privileged because everyone else has been on the bench this season - he was the last. I kept him in the team for all these matches. Yesterday we thought the best strategy was this one. We are happy with the decision and the players."

Chelsea will not sell the £32million striker, who has only scored four goals this season, in January and no decision has been taken yet on his long-term future. But a departure at the end of this campaign, with his old club Atletico Madrid keen to take Costa back, would not now be a surprise.

 



Diego Costa's future at Stamford Bridge is under threat after his outburst at Jose Mourinho