With his signing now announced, Chelsea’s newest striker Diego Costa has claimed he is ready to make an impact for the Blues in the Premier League. The first thing he has set his sights on, according to the Express, is the battle with Fernando Torres for a place in the starting lineup.
Chelsea paid a substantial fee of £32 million to Atletico Madrid for Costa’s services, although that seems modest when compared to the £50 million spent on the man who frequently sat on the bench for Jose Mourinho’s side last season.
Costa’s record of 64 goals in 135 appearances for Atletico Madrid completely outshines the Blues’ current striker, who has 45 in 172 for Chelsea. Torres, though, who was a product of Atletico’s youth academy, also made his name at the Vicente Calderon Stadium. Having scored 91 goals for his hometown club as well as 81 for Liverpool, the 30-year-old has already proven himself in two countries, something Costa will look to achieve next season.
Both players featured for Spain in their disastrous World Cup campaign this summer, but the fact that this was Brazilian-born Costa’s first tournament with La Roja is significant. Torres was a member of the teams that won the last two European Championships and the 2010 World Cup, and the spectacular failure in Brazil saw him have to wait until the meaningless third group game, before which Spain were already out, to make the starting lineup. Having replaced Costa from the bench in the previous two, he scored in his only start whilst his compatriot remained an unused substitute.
Failing to impress on the international stage, Costa needs to restore his reputation quickly if he is to be a success at Chelsea. He is still yet to score for Spain, and suffering a similar goal drought for his new club will do him no favours, as new rival and team-mate Torres can confirm.