Jose Mourinho says Diego Costa is a happy camper

Jose Mourinho has refused to rule out Diego Costa returning to Atletico Madrid, but maintains the striker is happy at Chelsea.

Costa has apologised for his petulant bib throw in the direction of Mourinho when an unused substitute at Tottenham, and was restored to the starting line-up at Porto, after which he spoke of a possibility of returning to the Vicente Calderon Stadium as rumours continue he has not settled in London.

“He didn’t say that. He said in football you never know,” Mourinho said. “Felipe Luis was one example. He could also say Fernando Torres, another example.

“Atletico is a great club. Madrid is a great city. La Liga is a great league. So why can’t a player at 27 years old think that in football it’s possible to be back? I don’t see that as a problem.”

Mourinho was asked if Costa could be a Chelsea great, like Didier Drogba.

“Drogba was here for 10 years. I don’t see Diego playing until he is 38,” Mourinho added.

“He is happy here. He likes to be here. He’s another one who has, I think, three more years (on his) contract.

“I see him staying at Chelsea for three more years, no problem. I see that.”

Tonight Mourinho faces the manager he replaced at Stamford Bridge in 2004. Claudio Ranieri has admitted he knew he would be fired by Chelsea as soon as Roman Abramovich bought the club. Now the Leicester boss faces his former side for the first time in the Premier League.

The Italian guided Chelsea to second in 2004, a year after Abramovich took control.

And he has taken Leicester top this season in a stunning comeback to English football after replacing Nigel Pearson in the summer — and they will return to the summit with victory against the Blues after Manchester City and Arsenal moved ahead of them over the weekend.

But the Italian knew his number was up at Chelsea once Abramovich moved in.

He said: “Yes, immediately. The chief executive (Trevor Birch) told me there is a new owner and I said ‘me and you are the first who go home’. You imagine, the new owner arrives and he wants to put in his own men. It is normal.

“If the new owner wants to change something, it is normal. I wanted to show our best and we bought some good players. I wanted to win something.

“In July, Abramovich wanted to bring Sven Goran Eriksson, who was the manager of the (England) national team. It wasn’t possible for him and he said ‘OK start and we’ll see what we can buy’.”

A year after he left, Chelsea won the title under Mourinho with the core of the squad signed by Ranieri.

He brought Frank Lampard, Joe Cole and Claude Makelele to the club and had already agreed to sign Petr Cech while also targeting Didier Drogba and Arjen Robben before he left.

He added: “Nobody needed to tell me ‘thank you’, why?

“I chose Petr Cech and had been to Eindhoven to take Robben and I suggested Drogba but that is it.

“I think we made a very good performance my third year, without taking no player we arrived fourth.

“And we achieved the Champions League, for this Roman Abramovich bought the team.”