According to reports Diego Costa could be on his way to Atletico Madrid this summer. His former club have reportedly made him their top target following the sale of Jackson Martinez to China. Chelsea are keen to keep hold of the Brazilian born Spanish international following a huge up turn in form after Guus Hiddink took charge of the club. This is bound to influence betting offers at sites such as BetAndSkill.com with regards to different movements this summer both in Atletico and Chelsea, with Chelsea keen on Atleti boss Diego Simeone.
Costa scored against Manchester United to make it 1-1 in the 90th minute and has now scored 7 in 8 under the interim manager, showing why he was so highly rated by Chelsea last season. In this type of form he’s undoubtedly one of the best strikers in the world, but it isn’t without issues. Costa is incredibly injury prone and last season his form tailed off massively after the turn of the year.
By January 20th he’d scored 17 Premier League goals in 19 games but then added only another three goals for the rest of the campaign, partially down to injury problems. Costa couldn’t stay fit and at the end of the season missed eight crucial league games in a row. Chelsea won the title but the signs were there that he wasn’t always reliable.
No goals in Europe were also problematic. Part of this was because he wasn’t capable of playing two games in a week effectively. Costa was a liability at times. Chelsea need someone more reliable and more consistent.
This is not to mention his discipline. On his day he is superb but too often his aggressive style of play causes him to pick up unnecessary suspensions. The three game ban against Arsenal was unfair but that derailed any attempts of a Chelsea resurgence earlier this season. The club hierarchy deserve some of the blame for not bringing in fit back-up. Loic Remy and Radamel Falcao both have injury problems so couldn’t act as consistent replacements for Costa. But with the team reliant on his bullish style, neither could come in and do a like-for-like replacement job.
In the end it was Costa’s poor form that cost Jose Mourinho in many regards. Whilst it may seem harsh given his revival it’s probably time for Chelsea to cash in on Costa at a profit and bring in someone younger and fitter.
