Diego Costa is a free man in Jan – Can he find a home in the Premier League
Bad boy striker Diego Costa has decided to terminate his contract with Atletico Madrid and will become a free agent in January.
On Tuesday afternoon Diego Costa and Atletico Madrid reached an agreement to end his contract which was set to expire in June 2021. This was due to personal reasons of the player who by the manager’s words, “felt the need to find a new challenge”.
"Former Chelsea striker Diego Costa will be able to join a new team as a free agent in January after Atletico Madrid contract terminated for personal reasons; Atleti boss Simeone: “He felt the need to find a new challenge… Wherever he goes he will do well, because he’s a fighter.” (Via: Sky Sports)"
Following a rewarding three-season spell at Chelsea, the forward returned to the Spanish capital. Since reuniting with Diego Simeone, it has been a difficult time trying to stay fit and injury-free.
The player struggled to build momentum and cement his place in the side, forcing Simeone to get other top strikers in – to either fight him for a spot or play alongside him. His last campaign he only featured 25 times out of the 38 La Liga games played.
The two seasons prior, he managed 16 and 15 games, respectively. Now making matters worse, the arrival of Luis Suarez from Barcelona in the summer and an early injury setback has seen him limited to seven games, starting only two of them.
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The call to quite Atletico at the age of 32 shows he wants to play more frequently but it will not happen if Suarez continues on the excellent run of form since transferring to current log leaders. In his 10 appearances, he has scored seven goals and assisted one. Diego has only scored two goals so far.
He has also been the preferred frontman to lead the line, starting nine times of the 10 he has played. His form has been so good, he could be the La Liga’s bargain buy of the summer having left Barca for as little as €6m (£5.5m).
Where now for Diego Costa?
A move back to Stamford Bridge, where he won two Premier League titles and one EFL Cup, is out of the question. There is no way Lampard would be able to control the Spaniard. Also, he will find his opportunities even more limited at Chelsea with all their firepower.
The biggest shout for a possible move has been the North Londoners, Arsenal. Early rumours suggested he is on their list of January transfers now that he has become available for free. But a player with Diego Costa’s attitude and presence could be and will be too much for Mikel Arteta to handle.
Diego Costa is the subject of interest from Arsenal, according to AS 👀 pic.twitter.com/hQZBxnVF09
— GOAL (@goal) December 29, 2020
The Gunners have already suffered from three red card offences this season. It will only get worse with Costa who is known for his bullying antics on the pitch. However, they’ve displayed many problems on the pitch, mostly unable to find the back of the net on many occasions.
They have only scored 16 goals in 16 games. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette have struggled to show their usual quality in front of goal and are guilty of a number of poor performances. He could be a crucial addition to the team with his clinical finishing.
Mourinho and Costa have worked well together in the past, but that is in the past. Spurs are also loaded at the top end of the pitch, which would see him in a similar situation like at Atletico. Liverpool and others will avoid disrupting their camps with a player of his mentality and not throw their names in the Costa hat.
dark. Next. Episode 8 of PL youngsters on the radar
This leaves him with little options to choose from in England. His ability is certainly up there with some of the best in Europe but his bad-boy behaviour causes clubs to overlook him.