Chelsea and Spain striker Diego Costa is as mad as a box of frogs. However, he is one of the top out-and-out number nines in world football. On his day, he can cause mayhem for even the best of defences.
However, since January and the whole bid from a Chinese club incident, the striker has been threading on thin ice with the Blues.
That ice finally broke when Blues boss Antonio Conte reportedly sent the striker a text to tell the striker he is no longer a part of the Italian’s plans at the end of last season.
Reportedly, Costa attempted to patch things up with Conte, but the Italian decided to snub the offer and left the Brazilian-born star out in the cold. Costa seems set to leave the English champions this summer.
Chelsea’s problem is that Costa will be nay on impossible to replace this summer. There is no player quite like him and it puts the Blues in a difficult position.
Romelu Lukaku has gone elsewhere
Supposedly, Romelu Lukaku was Costa’s replacement. However, Manchester United and the Belgian striker did not read the script and he joined the Red Devils from Everton for a deal that could reach £90million.
A number of Chelsea fans have stated they did not want Lukaku back. They also claimed that he was never really a target for the champions. Whether or not he was, Lukaku always looked like a viable replacement for Costa.
However, he is a completely different sort of player to the Spanish international. The 24-year-old does score goals, but his involvement in the game all around team play is poor compared to Costa.
Alvaro Morata interesting the Blues
A player that would be closer to Costa in his all-around player would be Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata. The Spanish international was a reported target of Manchester United prior to the Red Devils signing for Lukaku.
The 24-year-old has struggled for regular first-team football at Real Madrid, unsurprisingly considering the players in the European Champions squad. However, he did score a very creditable 20 goals for Los Blancos in all competitions last season.
His all-around game is better than Lukaku. He can hold the ball up in a better fashion and bring teammates into the game. Chelsea will not have to adapt their game as much to get the best out of the Spaniard.
However, Lukaku is more prolific and has Premier League experience. Morata comes across as a player with a better temperament than both Lukaku and Costa, though, so he could be better in the dressing room.
Morata is definitely an option. Real Madrid are unlikely to sell the striker on the cheap, though. The club from the Spanish capital are reportedly holding out for an eye-watering fee of £70million for the striker.
Chelsea needs to sign a striker for a title bid
Chelsea were outstanding last season in the Premier League and for much of the campaign were the definition of champions. They ground out results and did what they had to do to secure the Premier League title.
However, Costa played a major role in the title success. Without replacing him the Blues may well struggle to replicate their form from last season.
The Blues are currently odds of 7/2 to win the title, with both Manchester United and Manchester City shorter odds to be crowned champions next season.
You cannot write Chelsea off for the title next season. They defied the odds last season and finished top of the pile. However, that was when the Blues had a freshly motivated Eden Hazard and Diego Costa. Boss Conte got the best out of the pair.
The situation has completely changed now and Conte must address the problem before the start of the campaign. Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi did score a few goals when given the chance last season, but there remain question marks over his ability to be a regular striker for a top team.
For me, if Chelsea does not sign a high-quality replacement for Costa this summer, they will struggle to challenge for the Premier League title next season.
