Conte fell out with Costa in 2017 — texting the striker to inform him he was not part of his plans

Chelsea will argue that Antonio Conte’s treatment of Diego Costa was not in the best interests of the club and that as a result he is not entitled to his full severance package of £9 million when their bitter legal dispute is heard by a Premier League managers’ arbitration tribunal today.

The private hearing by a three-person panel convened by the Premier League is expected to centre on Conte’s fallout with Costa in the summer of 2017, including the infamous text message sent by the head coach to his key striker informing him “you are not in my plan”.

Chelsea’s case in withholding part of Conte’s payoff after he was sacked 12 months later is based on their claim that the Italian’s conduct undermined their