Chelsea supporters will never forgive Diego Costa if he cheques out now for Chinese Super League
Costa quest for filthy money is final straw for Blues' supporters - even if cash is the main motivator for nearly every top player
GOOD riddance to Diego Costa, if he can get his way.
Chelsea, paying Costa £150,000 a week, cannot come close to the cash on offer in China.
For that reason, he wants out. To chase the money, to uproot his family one more time and take the big bucks for the next three years.
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The kid from Lagarto in Brazil is already rich beyond his wildest dreams.
If he gets his way and moves to China, he will be filthy rich.
He has seen his pal Oscar quit Chelsea, swapping the substitutes’ bench at Stamford Bridge for a new career with Shanghai SIPG.
Costa wants to follow him to the Far East. Even if Blues boss Antonio Conte can somehow patch things up with Chelsea’s star striker, their supporters cannot take him back. Not after this.
They have invested so much in him — forgiving him after his scrapes with opponents, managers and the FA ever since his move from Atletico Madrid in 2014.
“Diego, Diego” — sung from the terraces during his run of 14 goals in 19 Premier League games — will not be a favourite chant for a while. He has let them down. Badly.
Costa had everybody fooled, giving the impression that he had turned a corner under their volatile Italian manager.
Behind the scenes he has been agitating for this move over a six-week period.
He was tapped up by Shanghai Shenhua back in November, on the list of alternatives if they failed to land Tevez from Boca Juniors.
Gus Poyet, put in charge of the Chinese Super League side on November 29, had Costa next on his list of targets if the Tevez deal fell through.
Costa, the leading scorer in the Premier League, was a wanted man. At first he resisted, telling the scores of middlemen surrounding the deal that he had unfinished business with Chelsea.
He told them he would stay — at least until the summer.
That suited Chelsea, giving them time to find a replacement when the transfer window opened at the end of the season.
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Costa seemed settled, scoring goals and telling friends he was determined to win a second Premier League title under Conte.
That changed when Tianjin Quanjian made their move.
They caught him at the right time, stepping up negotiations for his release just after his fifth yellow card of the season in a 1-0 win at Crystal Palace.
Costa scored the goal at Selhurst Park but the booking meant he would miss Chelsea’s Boxing Day clash with Bournemouth.
It was during this period that Tianjin started offering mind-boggling figures to tempt him away.
They were willing to pay Chelsea a £60million transfer fee and £90m over three years to the Spanish international.
Predictably, Costa wanted out. The move was on and he started to act up in an effort to force his way out.
When Chelsea attempted to smooth relations with their temperamental forward by starting talks over a new contract, he turned them down.
Costa wanted his big payday in China. He has told Chelsea — several times — he wants to leave in this transfer window.
To that end the 28-year-old kicked up a stink in the week when he argued with Chelsea fitness coaches about his back complaint. When Conte stepped in, there appeared to be no way back.
Costa’s agent Jorge Mendes is in China putting the finishing touches to a deal that will make his client one of the best-paid players on the planet. If he gets his way, the Premier League faces the biggest power struggle in its history.
Money talks.
The biggest threat to our much-hyped top flight are the staggering salaries being offered to players by the CSL clubs. There is no stopping them.
Costa does not care for the Premier League or for English football.
He is just passing through, a gun-for-hire in an era when money is the main motivator for nearly every top player on the planet.
Costa rap sheet
JAN 2015: Handed a three-match ban for stamping on Liverpool’s Emre Can during Chelsea’s League Cup semi-final win.
SEP 2015: Arsene Wenger describes the Spaniard’s behaviour as “disgusting” after a row with Arsenal’s Gabriel. Slapped with a retrospective three-match ban for elbowing Gunners’ Laurent Koscielny.
OCT 2015: Continues his feud with Martin Skrtel and escapes retrospective action after driving his studs into the Liverpool defender’s chest.
NOV 2015: Throws his toys out of the pram — and his bib at boss Jose Mourinho — after being an unused substitute against Tottenham.
JAN 2016: Has a furious row with Oscar following exchange of heavy tackles at training. Coaches and team-mates step in and separate the pair after they squared up.
MAR 2016: Appears to spit in direction of ref and is sent off in FA Cup loss to Everton. Initial two-match ban extended to three and fined £20,000.
AUG 2016: Gets away with a potential leg-breaking, studs-up challenge on West Ham keeper Adrian. Stays on the pitch and scores the winner in season opener.
OCT 2016: Antonio Conte is forced to remind Costa who is boss after striker signalled to bench he wanted to be substituted in 3-0 win over Leicester.
JAN 2017: Striker’s stroppy tendencies reappear as Costa rows with Pedro on the pitch during Blues’ 2-0 defeat at Spurs.