The arrival of Diego Costa forced Torres to leave Chelsea

AC Milan striker Fernando Torres has insisted the arrival of Diego Costa forced him to leave Chelsea, but believes he made the correct decision in joining the Rossoneri.

The Spain international, 30, completed a two-year loan move to Milan in the summer, and has gone on to score one goal in four Serie A appearances for the club.

“I had decided to leave Chelsea,” Torres, who joined Chelsea from Liverpool in a £50 million in January 2011, told Corriere dello Sport.

“With Mourinho there was a relationship of respect, but the club had bought a new striker.

“With the Coach I had spoken often about my future, he wanted me to stay in London. But I needed a new stimulus for my career.

“That day I received a phone call from Milan. I was presented with the offer I had been waiting for. I was at a particular moment in my career.

“I needed a change and I was aiming to find a team that would guarantee me a starting spot. I had other opportunities, but I chose Milan because they proved that they really wanted me.

“But no Champions League? The club is experiencing a situation that they are not used to. For me, it was a greater incentive to help Milan return to where they deserve to be.”

At the moment, Milan (3-2-1) are in fifth-place in the Italian Serie A table with 11 points. Table toppers and two-time champions Juventus have yet to drop a point, while Roma (5-1-0) and Sampdoria (4-2-0) round out the top-three.

Fourth-place is currently occupied by Udinese (4-1-1), who are led by talisman Antonio di Natale. The 37-year-old No. 10 has bagged four goals and one assist in six games for the Zebrette.

Milan are priced at 5/2 to secure a top-three finish in Serie A this season, while Juventus can be backed at 1/250.

Davis signs new Southampton deal

Southampton F.C. midfielder Steven Davis has put pen to paper on a new contract which will keep him at St Mary’s until the summer of 2018.

The Northern Ireland international, 29, helped lead his country to a shock 2-0 win over Greece at the Karaiskakis Stadium in Athens on Tuesday, and has now committed his long-term future to the Saints.

It has been a good week for Davis, who told the club’s official website: ”

“I’m delighted to have signed a new contract. I’ve enjoyed my football since I came here and the club is continually progressing.

“I’m excited to see where we can go together over the next few years. The club is run the right way and they try to do everything to their best ability.

“Nobody wants to stand still, we want to get better, that goes for the team and myself. I’d like to win trophies here and continually try to improve our league position. I feel we can do that at this club.

“It was a difficult summer, there’s no getting away from that but the board stayed strong and the club made some really good signings in the manager and players that came in.

“It’s unbelievable how everyone has settled. We’ve had a lot of changes but it feels like we’ve been playing together for a lot longer than we have. We’ve had an exciting start and we’re determined to go on and keep progressing.”

Davis has featured in all seven of the Southampton’s English Premier League fixtures this term.

The Saints, who have the best defensive record in England’s top-flight with just five goals conceded through seven games, will host Sunderland at St Mary’s at the weekend.