Chelsea round-up: Conte reacts to FA Cup final defeat; Costa addresses speculation; Arsenal battle for striker

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After a surprise defeat in the FA Cup final against Arsenal at Wembley, where Victor Moses was sent off as the Blues crashed to a 2-1 loss after goals from Alexis Sanchez and Aaron Ramsey came either side of a Diego Costa strike, Antonio Conte remained proud, telling the club website:

“Now the most important thing is to give a correct evaluation of our season because for me it was incredible. Every single player performed at 120 or 130 per cent in every game… Our season was incredible because every player worked very hard and next season for sure we must pay great attention to understand we have to improve in terms of numbers and quality… My players must keep in their mind our fantastic season and also this final, because you have to reach this point to play the final. We must be proud.”

The result was a disappointing end to a superb campaign which saw Chelsea climb from tenth in 2015/16 to top of the league only one year later, but meant that there was no double for Antonio Conte who remains without a cup final victory in his career as a manager either in Italy or the UK.

Post-match, striker Diego Costa also hinted at his future, revealing that he is not looking to leave the club, but only has one destination in mind if Conte and the club’s bosses decide to try to cash in on the Spaniard, as the Telegraph quote him as saying:

“I will only leave Chelsea for Atlético. If not, I will stay here. I’m not interested in other clubs… I will only sign for another club in Europe, they know that. Otherwise I’ll stay with my current contract. I have a contract and no intention of leaving, but if there are changes to be made that might reduce my chances, if the coach won’t count on me anymore or is to give space for another striker, I know that I’ll have to leave.”

Costa finished the season as the club’s top goalscorer and added one final effort on Saturday at Wembley as he chested the ball down under pressure before rifling in an effort which deflected off the boot of Per Mertesacker to send it past David Ospina and into the net for an equaliser.

If Costa is sold, Chelsea could look to Torino forward Andrea Belotti as a replacement, according to The Sun. However, they could face another battle against Arsenal as the Gunners look to bolster their own forward line, but both clubs may be reluctant to match the £85 million asking price.

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With 25 goals in Serie A this season, the Italian could join forced with Antonio Conte as the manager looks to build a squad strong enough to take on the Champions League next season alongside a title defence in the Premier League.

Featured Image: All rights reserved by Ai Kagou.