By David Lee Wheatley
Atletico
Madrid star Diego Costa passed a medical yesterday in preparation for an
imminent transfer to Chelsea in a mega-money deal which is expected to reach
the £32million buy-out clause stipulated in the Brazilian-born forward’s
contract.
The west
London club were alerted to the talents of 25-year-old Costa following an outstanding
return of 36 goals from 52 games during the course of Atletico’s hugely
successful campaign and promptly pounced ahead of a long line of other potential
suitors in order to nab the bustling striker’s prized signature before the
start of the World Cup due to take place in his homeland. While Costa readies
himself to represent adopted nation Spain in the country of his birth at this
summer’s tournament, those in control within the corridors of Stamford Bridge
can rest easy in the knowledge that they’ve secured the signing of a natural
goalscorer who is absolutely ready-made for them and the Premier League in
general.
Blues boss
Jose Mourinho publicly bemoaned the dearth of firepower at his disposal last term,
with the misfiring Fernando Torres, Demba Ba and Samuel Eto’o struggling to
find the net on a regular basis. That inconsistency from his forwards led to
calls for the club to bring in a proven striker who could handle the
rough-and-tumble world of English football and in the shape of Diego Costa they
have snared a top performer who is feisty, tough and extremely strong, thus
causing abundant nightmares for opposition defenders. Whatever his marker tries
to mete out during the heat of battle, they will get it back two-fold due to
the highly physical approach that Costa prefers. Defenders will not get a
moment’s peace from the significant attacking threat posed by the Spanish
international and will find it incredibly difficult to keep the 6ft 2in powerhouse
quiet.
Costa began
his professional career with Portuguese side Braga after leaving Brazil at the
age of 18, as he set out on a European adventure encompassing seven different
teams across Spain and Portugal, thanks to numerous loan spells away from his
parent clubs. He took in stints with Penafiel, Atletico Madrid (once before his
latest stay at the Vicente Calderon), back to Braga, Celta Vigo, Albacete, Real
Valladolid, Atletico again and then another short-term loan across to Rayo
Vallecano. At no point from the start of his journey had the forward managed to
showcase his true promise until that loan switch in January 2012 to Rayo, the
relatively poor relations of football-mad Madrid. A serious knee injury in
pre-season had limited Costa’s ability to cement a place in the starting
line-up during his second coming at Atleti, so he was farmed to their lesser
neighbours in the hope of finding form with a club that could offer him a platform
to regain full fitness by featuring week-in, week-out at La Liga level. Indeed,
that opportunity to play allowed the rangy centre-forward to hit the goal trail
immediately when plundering an impressive ten goals in just 16 appearances
during the five months spent in Vallecas.
He returned
to Atletico brimming with renewed confidence and saw his name on the team-sheet
more often than not under inspirational manager Diego Simeone. Costa grabbed 20
in all competitions amid a startling run which culminated in the claiming of
the Copa del Rey crown – he’d finally arrived on the big stage. The 2013 summer
transfer window saw furious speculation surrounding the then-Brazilian national
squad member’s future, with Liverpool mooted to be ready with an attractive offer
in the region of £21million. However, Los Rojiblancos held firm and refused to
buckle under the immense pressure placed upon them to sell a player who had
swiftly become a key cog in Simeone’s well-oiled machine.
Sticking with
the Spanish giants proved to be a superb decision when
considering his considerable contribution to a wildly successful 2013-14
campaign at the Calderon, as Atleti took La Liga by storm in winning their
first title since 1996. Not only that, but they shocked the entire continent by
advancing all the way to a Champions’ League final date with local rivals Real
Madrid in Lisbon, a unique occurrence in that two sides from the same city had
come face-to-face in a European final on the only occasion in history to date.
Alas, the fairytale stopped there, with Diego Costa limping off injured after
only nine minutes at the Estadio da Luz and Atletico eventually surrendering a
1-0 lead with seconds left at the end of proceedings to force an extra 30
minutes of action. Real followed up their cruel equaliser right at the death by
firing a further three goals home in extra-time to rubber-stamp their feted
tenth Champions’ Cup success. Despite the utter deflation of defeat, Atletico
could look back proudly on an astonishing season full of great highs and fantastic
memories, with Costa an integral protagonist of their first
championship-winning season for 18 years.
Now, having controversially
switched allegiance following two friendly-match caps for Brazil, Costa hopes
to play an important part in the upcoming World Cup for holders Spain in spite
of the thigh problem which has been troubling him for some time. The imposing front-man
is back in training and raring to go for his opening attempt at excelling in an
international competition of this magnitude and he can go into the group games without
external worries now that his situation at club level is settled, having done
all he could for the Atletico Madrid cause prior to moving on to pastures new.
Chelsea can
be assured they are set to welcome the ideal footballer to robustly lead the
line at Stamford Bridge next season. They spent the whole year desperately seeking
a solution to their distinct lack of attacking prowess without any luck; the ruthless
and ultra-aggressive Atletico marksman represents precisely what Mourinho’s men
were crying out for all season-long.
Twitter: @davewh1980
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