Surprise, surprise: Diego Costa is heading back to Atletico Madrid.
After helping to fire Chelsea to a second title in three seasons, the striker has spent the summer back in his hometown of Lagarto, Brazil.
Having been made aware via an Antonio Conte text message that he wasn’t needed ( /wanted) at Stamford Bridge any longer, he’s refused to report back for training with Chelsea, punctuating his summer away by dropping the odd subtle hint that he’d quite like to return to Atleti – the club at which he played for before his move to England.
By ‘subtle’ we mean filming himself wearing the La Liga club’s shirt or telling anyone who’ll listen that he really wants to move there. That sort of thing.
On Thursday, it was confirmed that Costa – subject to personal terms and a medical – would indeed be heading back to the Spanish capital after a fee for the player had been agreed by Chelsea and Atleti.
A brief statement on Chelsea’s website clarified matters:
As we know, Costa won’t be the only player to depart Chelsea in recent weeks who has played a key role in their two most recent title successes.
Nemanja Matic moved to Manchester United towards the end of the summer, although it seemed Conte wasn’t quite as happy about losing the midfielder as he was to see the back of Costa.
Now, as pointed out by the Mirror, there’s a stark contrast to the way in which both players’ exits from the Premier League champions were announced.
Whereas Costa’s time at the club has only been deemed worthy of a concise 30-word statement, they paid tribute to Matic by reflecting on his time with them in a near-700-word statement, thanking him for his service at the end.
Although the Mirror suggest this difference may be down to Costa’s behaviour while at the club, perhaps the Spanish international will be afforded a lengthier farewell message when his departure to Atleti is finalised.
Costa will re-sign for Atleti in January, with a transfer ban for the Spanish club preventing him from registering with them until the new year.
