Leagues: EPL

Diego Costa returns to the Premier League with Wolves

On Monday, Wolves made the acquisition of striker Diego Costa official. The Spaniard arrives on a free transfer after last playing for Atlético Mineiro in the Brazilian top flight.

Fans of the Premier League have a notable memory of what Diego Costa did during his three seasons at Chelsea. Costa made 120 appearances at Stamford Bridge collecting an impressive 82 goal contributions. Fifty-nine of those are goals, but that is hardly the most remembered part of his game.

Costa has talent, but fans of the Premier League have a clearer recollection of his ability to get in the heads of defenders. His ferocity is a staple of his game.

Wolves brings over Costa to be the fifth striker in its squad. The other notable names in that list are Raúl Jiménez, Hee-chan Hwang and Sasa Kalajzic. Wolves paid Stuttgart nearly $20 million for the latter’s services in the summer transfer window.

Indisputably, however, Wolves supporters welcome the arrival of Diego Costa. After five Premier League fixtures, Wolves’ three goals is tied for the lowest in the league with West Ham United.

Wolves sign Spanish striker Diego Costa

Diego Costa is the hopeful remedy for Wolves’ recent scoring struggles. Despite a relatively high age of 33, Costa brings invaluable experience and hunger to the Wolves front line.

In his three-season tenure at Chelsea, Diego Costa played an integral part of two Premier League titles and an EFL Cup. For the latter, Costa scored in the final. In that debut season when Chelsea won the Premier League, Costa finished third in the scoring charts with 20 goals. Two seasons later, when Chelsea won the title again, Costa repeated with 20 goals.

Furthermore, Diego Costa picked up 30 yellow cards. Yet, remarkably, Costa played his temperament just right, only receiving one red card in his time at Chelsea. However, he did face a trio of three-match suspensions for stomping on Emre Can of Liverpool, clashing with Arsenal’s defense and that lone red card against Everton.

After not playing for over half a year, Costa may need some time to shake off the rust, especially in the intensity of the Premier League. However, if he can even match half of his output with Chelsea, it would be a welcome sight for a struggling Wolves side.

Wolves’ next game is against Manchester City on Saturday morning.

IMAGO: IMAGO / PA Images

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