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Diego Costa is poised to return to the West Midlands where he was last seen brandishing a fire extinguisher and threatening to let it loose in the general direction of his boss, Antonio Conte. This was a Friday night in May 2017 at The Hawthorns where Chelsea’s win against West Bromwich Albion clinched the Premier League title, and Costa was celebrating in his own inimitable fashion.
A fortnight later and he was gone from English football seemingly never to return until this emergency call from Wolverhampton Wanderers. Costa scored his final goal for Chelsea in an FA Cup final defeat against Arsenal before going on strike, refusing to return from Brazil for pre-season training because of an ill-judged text message from Conte to let him know he was no longer in his plans.
Their relationship had deteriorated since Costa’s unsuccessful bid to leave for the lucrative Chinese Super League during the January window and he would eventually depart, locked deep in dispute, appropriately enough for such a brilliantly confrontational centre forward.
When he first arrived at Stamford Bridge, signed for £32million from Atletico Madrid in 2014 by Jose Mourinho, Costa could not speak a word of English but with the help of Chelsea’s Brazilian midfielder Oscar practised a few words he wanted to say when introduced to his new teammates. ‘I go to war, you come with me,’ he told them on his first day.
It turned out wasn’t joking. At 26, Costa took to the Premier League with a rampaging force akin to Erling Haaland this year, relishing the physical contact and the aerial dimension, helping himself to seven goals in his first four games.
Assorted skirmishes followed apace, with fines and FA investigations into stamping and elbowing, and even accusations of biting Gareth Barry. It was all part of the package and they loved it at the Bridge, especially once he took to schooling Arsenal in the style of Didier Drogba. Mourinho had found a natural heir to Drogba, a fearsome figure at the vanguard of his team and Eden Hazard had his perfect foil. Costa scored 20 in 26 Premier League appearances as Chelsea won the title in his first season at the club, 52 in 89 over three years.
At 33, Wolves are unlikely to find quite the same model. Costa’s fire has been fizzling out since he ended his second spell at Atletico Madrid and returned to his native Brazil to join Atletico Mineiro, in August 2021. Almost immediately, he become embroiled in a betting scandal surrounding a gambling website, and police swooped to search his home in Lagarto, in the Brazilian state of Sergipe. Investigations continue. Costa denies any wrongdoing.
On the pitch, Atletico Mineiro won the national cup and the national championship but he struggled with niggling injuries and did not become the conquering hero he hoped to be, eclipsed by Hulk. Having scored five goals in 19 games, Costa reached a mutual agreement to terminate his contract in January, a year early, amid stories that his family had found it difficult to adjust to life back in Brazil.
Proposed moves to corinthians in Sao Paulo Vallecano in Spain came to nothing. Costa says he has been keeping himself in shape, whick rekindles memories of those social media videos of him training alone on the beach while demanding Chelsea sold him back to Atletico Madrid who were, at the time, under a transfer embargo.
Wolves will be aware there is risk on all levels but with Sasa Kalajdzic ruled out for months after suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury on debut and Raul Jimenez perhaps not the striker he once was, they are preparing to enlist Costa for one last fight.
It should make for compulsive viewing, with Liverpool and Manchester City next up. Then a possible return to Chelsea next month and, while six months is a long time in Costa’s world, Conte’s Tottenham are due at Molineux in March. Bring a fire extinguisher.
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Independent Newspapers Limited, registered on July 17, 2001 (RC No: 419927), commenced publication on October 1, 2001. With registered office at 8, WEMPCO Road, Ogba, Ikeja, it publishes INDEPENDENT, Monday - Friday, Saturday Independent, Sunday Independent, independent.ng, TV Independent on YouTube and IndependentNgr (Facebook, Twitter & Instagram).
Wizkid Returns With New Single “Bad To Me”
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Wizkid Returns With New Single “Bad To Me”
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[PHOTOS] Banky W, Adesuwa Etomi Unveil Son’s Face
2023: Ondo PDP Aligns With Atiku, Ayu
2023: SWAGA Stages Youth Solidarity Walk, Sensitises Voters In Ondo
2023: Lalong Charges N’Central APC To Work Toward Delivering Highest Votes To…
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Michael Jordan’s ‘Last Dance’ Jersey Sells For $10.1m
Ramsey Scores As Aston Villa Edge Past Southampton
Iheacho: Helping Startups Deploy Winning Branding, Marketing Strategies
Christian Wins N100,000 At Bewa Content Creation
NDE Empowers Over 100 Youths With Different Skills In Lagos
Lying-In-State: David Beckham Waited For 12hrs To Pay Respects To Queen Elizabeth
King Charles III Visits Wales For 1st Time As Monarch
European Police Bust Gang Smuggling Migrants On Private Planes
Genital Mutilation, Tribal Marks Under Renewed Knocks
Tech Trends: Artisans Battle For Survival As Businesses Suffer
Insecurity: Nigerians Call For Special Courts To Prosecute Terrorists, Looters
2023: CAN Urges Christians To Be Actively Involve In Election To Change The…
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My Sugar Daddy Makes Me Happier Than My Boyfriend Does
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