In a recent report, Sky Sports has revealed that Wolverhampton Wanderers could face competition from Sao Paulo for their January target Diego Costa. The West Midlands club were linked with a move for the Brazilian striker last month, but a move failed to materialise probably due to the player’s high wage demands (via Birmingham Mail).
Costa’s Underwhelming Season At The Spanish Capital
The South American sensation was released by Atletico Madrid at the start of this calendar year and has since been a free agent. He is still looking for a new club, but Wolves have no immediate need to land him as they have already recruited Willian Jose on loan until the end of this campaign.
Costa has only been involved in seven league matches for Diego Simeone’s side this term, scoring two goals in the process. The Brazilian centre-forward has struggled to perform at a high level after he averaged 0.7 shots and 0.6 key passes per game in the first half of this La Liga campaign. Still, he has distributed the ball well, as evidenced by his pass completion rate of 77.8% in the top tier of Spanish football (stats via whoscored).
The 32-year-old has looked like a shadow of his former self with his performances this season which would make him a risky acquisition for any top European club, especially because he would ask a lot of money in wages.
What Are The Two-time Brazil International’s Best Attributes?
Costa has lost a yard of pace from his game as father time is catching up with his game. However, when the Brazilian marksman is playing well on the field, he can still be a lethal finisher in the final third. The former Chelsea forward excels at getting himself into some promising areas inside the opponent’s penalty box and usually packs a lot of power with his strikes on-target.
Standing at 1.86m, Costa has still got a strong frame to win a few headers for his team but needs to play regularly if he wants to re-establish his status as a prolific goal-getter in European football. However, he is a striker on the decline and has missed a lot of matches this season because of multiple injuries.
Should Nuno Espirito Santo Give Up His Pursuit Of Costa?
At the moment, Wolves have got Willian Jose (on loan) and Fabio Silva as their only fit centre-forwards while Raul Jimenez continues to recover from his head injury. Hence, it makes no sense for Nuno Espirito Santo to offer big-money to lure Costa to the Molineux Stadium on a short-term contract. The Brazilian striker is not good enough to fire Wolves back to European football contention and won’t be a long fix to their goal-scoring problems. All in all, the Midlands giants should rather give up their pursuit of Costa as it will neither benefit them or the player.
