Fact or fiction, Friday night’s media circus surrounding Diego Costa was always going to impact on our Gameweek.
Over 374,000 Fantasy Premier League managers moved to show the Spaniard the door in the last 24-hours as reports stated that Costa had been “dropped” for Chelsea’s trip to Leicester City.
Of those transfers, more than 124,000 shifted to Olivier Giroud but, more significantly, just over 76,000 were to look to Spurs’ Harry Kane as their replacement.
Despite Giroud finding the net for the fourth successive Gameweek, Kane’s hat-trick and return of 17 points stole the headlines and provided an instant reward for those who had reacted to the Costa kerfuffle.
Another 32,000 have already pulled the plug on Costa since the passing of today’s deadline, seemingly consigning the striker to a term of absence and dismissing the prospect of Chelsea’s next fixture with Hull City at the Bridge.
It’s not clear if Costa will be a factor in that match.
Antonio Conte was quick to dispel the talk of a dispute or “bust-up”, citing a back problem as the cause of Costa’s omission. The striker will now apparently be assessed ahead of Gameweek 22, as the Blues work to diffuse talk of their player being unsettled.
That will be no easy task.
Ironically, even without their leading scorer, Chelsea were to breeze past the Foxes in third gear, with Marcos Alonso, another Fantasy asset subject to recent media reports, providing an unexpected brace and 21 points to outperform even Kane’s haul.
With Nathan Ake’s recall, there was talk and even reports that Alonso’s status in the Chelsea line-up was at risk.
The Standard reported “growing injury concerns” and, while Alonso’s start at the King Power was never seriously questioned, there were new doubts surrounding the Spaniard’s long-term prospects following Ake’s return.
Confidence was knocked. More than 78,000 FPL managers moved Alonso out of their squads over the past two Gameweeks, reacting to the four goals conceded but also perhaps the reports of Alonso’s “problem”.
Post-match, Alonso himself confirmed that there was some truth in the chatter but, with his emphatic performance, he had underlined both his present condition and importance to Chelsea and Fantasy managers.
The noise and bluster surrounding these two prize assets has been difficult to shut-out – in Costa’s case, it will inevitably continue.
The striker’s remaining owners will now be forced to strap themselves in for a prolonged period of uncertainty, with the tempting Gameweek 22 fixture providing an alluring reason to sit it out.
Meanwhile, those holding Alonso will be strengthening their grip.
Whatever the “pain” recently felt by the wing-back, it likely pales in significance next to the agony now being felt by those who sold him over the last two Gameweeks.
