Good that Diego Costa saga is ending

Chelsea finally look set to end the Diego Costa saga. The Blues have agreed a fee of around £50million with the striker’s former club Atletico Madrid for the striker. All that needs to be completed are the medical and the personal terms.

It will be a relief to everybody involved once the deal is complete. It was a strange situation. Costa was in exile in Brazil and refused to return to Chelsea, but was still a Blues player. The striker stated he wanted to re-join Atletico and was not returning to England anytime soon.

It was almost blackmail on the part of the striker. However, if reports were true about Chelsea boss Antonio Conte sending Costa a text saying he was surplus to requirements, then I am not surprised the usually mild-mannered (ahem!) striker got the hump.

A touch of madness

Diego Costa appears to be a man unhinged on a football field. He niggles and annoys defenders and not so much steps over the line sometimes, more like elbows the line in the nose while out of the sight of the referee of course. His on-field antics show that Costa is a temperamental guy.

However, that is part of what makes him a great striker. He will never give up and chases lost causes. No doubt about it Costa is a top striker, but he also has that touch of madness that many special players have within them.

Sometimes that attribute allows the player to do something different that decides a game for his team.

Costa is better than Alvaro Morata

I saw former Manchester United and Everton star Phil Neville give an interview about Diego Costa. He stated that he believes that Costa is a better player than international teammate Alvaro Morata, of course, his replacement at Chelsea.

Well, Phil, it is not rocket science is it. I am a big Morata fan and have championed him in many an editorial in recent years. However, the 24-year-old is not yet quite at the same level as Costa and it would be harsh to make comparisons at such an early stage of Morata’s Chelsea career.

The Brazilian-born striker is 28 and has a few more years playing at the top level perfecting his craft. Costa is also accustomed to the Premier League. Morata has made a decent start to life at Stamford Bridge.

However, the former Juventus striker is a different sort of player and person. Morata is a nice guy, while Costa is a snarling beast on the pitch, but reportedly very mild-mannered off the field (there I go again with mild-mannered!).

I would not be surprised if by the time Morata is Costa’s age he has achieved the same as his international teammate. Costa is better than Morata at the moment, only time will tell if that remains the same way, though.

Everybody can now move on

Once the deal is complete, everybody can move on. Chelsea moved on while Costa was still their player by signing Morata as his replacement. He is not turning out to be a bad replacement.

Costa cannot play for Atletico until January when Los Rojiblancos transfer ban ends and they can register players. In the meantime, he has to get himself fit for the second half of the campaign. He needs to impress at Atleti to have any chance of making Spain’s World Cup squad.

Spain are currently odds of 8/1 to win next year’s big event in Russia. Julen Lopetegui’s side has been impressive in qualifying without Costa of late. However, a fully fit Diego Costa would be a major asset to the Spanish national team.

It seems a long time since Diego Costa fired Chelsea to the Premier League title in May. However, a lot can happen in football in five months and the Blues are about to part with one of the best out and out strikers in European football.

It does seem for the best, though. Costa’s future was obviously not at Stamford Bridge, so the Premier League champions look to have made the right decision for everybody involved.

Will Alvaro Morata match Diego Costa’s achievements at Chelsea?