A Closer Look At Chelsea's New Man Diego Costa

Chelsea announced yesterday the signing of former Atlético Madrid’s versatile forward Diego Costa on a five-year contract. The amount of money involved in the transfer is undisclosed, although it is believed that it might have been something around the £32 million mark.

Diego Costa is one of those players that doesn’t need an introduction, since everyone is fully aware of the amount of damage he can perform at the opponents’ defence line. Last season, he helped Diego Simeone’s Atlético Madrid to grab La Liga’s title and to reach the UEFA Champions League final by contributing with, no more no less, than thirty-five goals, and if it wasn’t for a complicated injury late in the season he could have scored even more goals.

Despite his current success, Diego Costa had some difficulties in adapting himself to European football, after arriving at the Portuguese side SC Braga back in 2006. Being just seventeen years old at the time, Diego Costa went almost immediately on loan to Penafiel (a team from the Portuguese second tier), where he managed to make a good impression. In December of that same year, he was sold to Atlético Madrid but his adventure at the Colchoneros only started for real in 2012 after being constantly out on loan at several Spanish teams.

Diego Costa’s fantastic performances last season caught the attention of José Mourinho, who was desperately looking for new striker to solve Chelsea’s forward line deficiencies. The London Blues’ centre forwards have clearly failed to impress during last season and it is fair only to wonder: if Mourinho had had someone like Diego Costa in his team at that time, would Chelsea have been able to grab the English Premier League title?

Besides being fairly versatile, the Brazilian born Spanish international has impressive finishing and off the ball skills, something that allows him to play up in the front or act as a second striker or as an inside forward, lurking behind the team’s front man. Diego Costa is also known for his remarkable bravery and top-notch work rate, which somehow helps him disguise some of his positioning problems when playing as a lone ranger between the opponents’ centre backs inside the box.

Diego Costa is one of those hard working players that José Mourinho usually appreciates and if he manages to replicate his last term performances this season, he will certainly be a key element for the “quiet revolution” the Portuguese manager is performing at The Blues.