Diego Costa’s Chelsea career has gotten off to a fast start as the striker has found the back of the net twice in his opening two league matches.
But reports have surfaced from England speculating that the newly-signed goalscorer picked up a hamstring injury in training and could be out of action for as long as six weeks.
Should those reports be true, the injury could not come at a worse time as Chelsea are preparing to face Everton at Goodison Park this weekend. Also, the club appeared to be on the verge of a deal with AC Milan which would have seen Fernando Torres head to the Italian giants as a replacement for Mario Balotelli.
Some Chelsea supporters will undoubtedly accuse the club of being shortsighted, while pointing to the departures of Demba Ba and Romelu Lukaku earlier this summer. But Ba failed to impress during his brief time in London and Lukaku could not be guaranteed the first team playing time he desired.
Chelsea have yet to confirmed the injury. But The Sun and Telegraph are both reporting that Costa left training on Wednesday and could be facing considerable time in the training room.
If the striker is ruled out of action, Jose Mourinho may be forced to hold on to Torres and/or make a move before the transfer window shuts.
AS Monaco striker Radamel Falcao would be the likeliest target. But the Colombia international has been heavily-linked with a move to Real Madrid.
Porto’s Jackson Martinez could be another option. Mourinho is rumored to be a fan of the 27-year-old, who has scored 46 times in 60 appearances for the Portuguese side. But Chelsea would need to act fast, because Martinez has been linked with a move to Italy over the past few days.
Chelsea may also decide to continue with the sale of Torres and place their hopes on a resurgence from Didier Drogba. The 36-year-old Ivorian was brought back to Stamford Bridge this summer for what many believe was a glorified testimonial year. But now the Chelsea legend may be called on to carry the scoring load for the London club while Costa nurses his hamstring.
But the likelihood is Mourinho will scrap the sale of Torres and look to add a reinforcement before the September 1st deadline.
