Diego Costa has been linked with a move to Arsenal (Getty Images)
According to the Daily Star (h/t The Sun), Tottenham have been offered the chance to sign Diego Costa from Atletico Madrid this summer. As per the report, Atletico are willing to cash in on the 31-year-old after a lacklustre campaign that saw him score only 5 goals.
It has also been claimed that Costa, who has only one year remaining on his current contract with the Rojiblancos, could be available on the cheap this summer. Tottenham, though, are understood to have concerns over the Spaniard’s age and fitness levels.
Harry Kane has been the spearhead of Tottenham’s attack over the past six seasons in the Premier League, with the England talisman establishing himself as one of the most feared strikers on the planet. However, the 27-year-old’s prolific spell in North London hasn’t produced any silverware for the Lilywhites.
One of the biggest contributing factors behind that is Tottenham have lacked an effective plan B to take the pressure off Kane’s shoulders. The North Londoners have hardly had a quality second-choice striker over the last few years to share the goalscoring workload.
Mauricio Pochettino had a tough time trying to cope with such a ridiculous lack of depth up top. His successor Jose Mourinho has continued to rely on attacking wingers like Lucas Moura and Heung-min Son to fill the centre-forward void whenever Kane has been sidelined with an injury.
It was the same old story last season for Tottenham, who lacked specialist striking options after Kane picked up an injury.
Diego Costa has netted just 10 goals in 54 La Liga outings for Atletico Madrid following his move away from Chelsea back in the summer of 2017. Those numbers clearly don’t make for impressive readings on paper and Tottenham’s concern over the player’s age and fitness sounds completely logical.
Well, Costa might no longer be the same formidable force who bagged 51 goals in 89 PL games for Chelsea earlier in his career, but his quality as a striker can hardly be overlooked. At 31, the Spaniard still has something to offer at the top level while his previous track record in the Premier League is something that Tottenham should definitely look at.
Moreover, Costa is a player well known to Jose Mourinho, having previously won the Premier League title at Stamford Bridge under the Portuguese boss. Hence, the fans in North London will be hoping that the Spaniard’s reunion with Mourinho pays off handsomely for Tottenham.
Tottenham need to sort out their lack of depth in front of goal if they are to cope with the challenge of having to compete on multiple fronts. That being said, the acquisition of a match-winner and a serial winner like Diego Costa on a cut-price deal could be a coup for Mourinho’s brigade.