After acquiring Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona, Chelsea returned to the Spanish top-flight to finally complete their summer-long chase for Diego Costa last week. The 25-year-old arrives at Stamford Bridge on a five-year-deal for a fee believed to be in the region of £32m, after Jose Mourinho’s side triggered the release clause in the Spanish international’s Atletico Madrid contract:
Discussing the move with the Blues’ official website, Costa was quick to praise his former side after a sensational season under Diego Simeone’s guidance last time around:
“I am very happy to sign for Chelsea. Everybody knows it is a big club in a very competitive league, and I am very excited to get started in England with a fantastic coach and team-mates. Having played against Chelsea last season I know the high quality of the squad I am joining. I would like to thank everybody at Atletico who made me into the player I am, it was an incredible time for me, but now I am starting a new adventure and I hope to win many trophies with Chelsea.”
The History
It’s fair to say Costa’s career was slow in getting off the ground. The forward was limited to street football in his native Brazil until the age of 16, when he was snapped up Barcelona Esportivo Capela, before signing his first professional contract with Portuguese outfit SC Braga in the summer of 2006.
Quickly loaned out to FC Panafiel Portugal’s second division, Costa grabbed five goals and an assist in 13 appearances before Atletico Madrid signed him up just a few months later. The Spanish outfit remained unconvinced over his abilities and, over the next couple of years, loaned him back to former club Braga (a goal and assist in nine matches) and, subsequently, Spanish Second Division sides Celta Vigo (30 appearances, six goals) and Albacete (35 appearances, nine goals) before selling him to Real Valladolid in 2009, albeit with a buy-back clause inserted in his contract.
While Costa’s nine goals and six assists were unable to prevent his new club from relegation, Atletico took note of his impact for the La Liga strugglers and immediately re-acquired his services for the following season. Starting 2010/11 as a squad member, Costa forced his way into the first-team by the end of the campaign and managed six goals and four assists from 28 appearances before injury curtailed his game time the following year.
Having recovered from a knee complaint, the frontman was loaned out to Rayo Vallecano in the latter half of 2011/12 in order to boost his fitness and served up 10 goals and four assists in just 16 league matches. Back at Atletico the following season, he finally flourished under the guidance of Diego Simeone – 10 goals and 12 assists in 2012/13 preceded 27 strikes and five assists last term as he led his club to their first Spanish title in 18 years, whilst eight goals and a pair of assists in nine Champions League matches helped Atletico to the final, where they were beaten by neighbours Real Madrid.
On the international stage, Costa has been a controversial figure. Having been fielded in a couple of friendlies by Brazil, he chose to turn out for Spanish after being granted Spanish nationality – he’s since played six times and failed to score.
The Prospects
Physically imposing and willing to scrap for every ball up top, Costa looks the ideal forward for Mourinho’s style of play. The 25-year-old is renowned for a somewhat impetuous streak and isn’t afraid to put himself about in the final third – as evidenced by 19 yellow cards in his last two league seasons with Atletico.
Despite splashing significant amounts of cash on forwards over the last few years, the London club have never quite managed to replace the barnstorming displays of Didier Drogba. Similar to the Ivorian, Costa was a relatively late starter in professional football and certainly seems to have the same street-fighter attitude as Drogba, who wreaked havoc on top-flight backlines for a number of seasons. As the new boy admits:
“Boys who grew up playing in academies are taught to control themselves and respect others but no one ever told me otherwise. I didn’t have a school to teach me this. I was used to seeing players elbowing each other in the face and I thought it was the norm.”
Clearly, the Blues boss needs to improve upon last season’s attacking displays. Chelsea finished just four points off the top of the Premier League in The Special One’s first year back at The Bridge despite scoring just 71 times – 30 less than Liverpool and 31 fewer than champions Man City – and it’s arguable that the lack of a world-class frontman was the difference between success and failure.
Although Mourinho wasted little time in instilling a real resilience at the back, with 18 clean sheets delivered and only 27 goals conceded, in the final third, it was a different matter altogether. Whilst Eden Hazard can be exempt of any criticism after serving up 14 strikes from the flank, the Chelsea forwards failed to offer Mourinho a solution- Samuel Eto’o was the most prolific centre-forward with nine goals, as Fernando Torres and Demba Ba chipped in with five apiece.
Already, both Ba and Eto’o have moved on as Mourinho restructures his options. Although the Blues boss has insisted his summer spending is already over, reports suggest that Chelsea are in talks to bring Drogba back as a player-coach – a scenario which could see Romelu Lukaku farmed out on loan once more, with Torres utilised as back-up once again.
Despite just one outstanding season for Atletico, Costa has been handed a premium price tag right across the Fantasy games. Coming in at 10.5 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) and 9.5 in Sky Sports, he certainly offers a security of starts and will strengthen the Blues’ close-range potential – all but one of his 27 goals for Atletico last term were scored from inside the area.
Whilst his arrival will undoubtedly bring plenty of investment the Brazilian’s way, there’s a belief that Costa’s work-rate and hold-up play, whether in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 could, in turn, strengthen the Blues’ midfielders points potential. One look at Drogba’s record under Mourinho shows the Ivorian was never too prolific – notching 10 and 12 times in his first couple of campaigns under Jose, Drogba served up 20 goals in 2006/07 in the pair’s final year together in London.
Furthermore, with Frank Lampard now departed, there are question marks as to whether Costa can oust Hazard from the role as number one spot-kick taker; indeed, this could be a potentially decisive factor for many, given that the Belgian is cheaper at 10.0 in FPL. With an opening trip to Burnley preceding home clashes with Leicester, Swansea and Villa in the first six Gameweeks, Costa certainly has the schedule on his side as he looks to hit the ground running. However, it remains to be seen whether he can replace Hazard in our Fantasy affections or even offer a double-up option as Mourinho looks to bring the title back to Stamford Bridge.
