Wolverhampton Wanders look like they are about to complete a surprise move for a former Premier League striker due to their current injury crisis.
What’s the news?
The Athletic reported on Sunday night that Wolves were considering a deal to sign former Chelsea striker Diego Costa and he was arriving at Molineux on Tuesday for a trial.
This morning however, the same outlet stated that Costa will now be having a medical at the club on Tuesday ahead of a proposed move to England.
This comes after Bruno Lage lost new signing Sasa Kalajdzic to an ACL injury on his debut while Raul Jimenez is still struggling to come back to full fitness.
Costa could be a surprise fix for Lage
With the transfer window only ending last Thursday, it looked as though the Old Gold would be done with any further new arrivals in 2022. However, they have taken the rather surprising and unexpected decision to head back into the market with their hand being forced following events at the weekend.
Wolves got their first Premier League win of the campaign at home to Southampton on Saturday as they won 1-0, but it came at a cost with injuries to Kalajdzic and Jimenez overshadowing the victory.
The club’s goalscoring woes were clearly evident recently, netting only twice in the league before Saturday and with their two main goal threats ruled out going forward, it has led to desperate measures for Lage.
Jimenez was the club’s top scorer last term with six goals, while their recent arrival has bagged 24 league goals in the last two seasons.
Costa has been without a club since January 2022, with his contract at Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro terminated and this means Lage can sign him outside of the summer transfer window.
Despite his proven experience in the English top flight, the fact he hasn’t played since January could be a massive cause for concern, but Lage obviously sees the talent the player possesses.
Will Costa be a success at Wolves?
The 33-year-old has scored 52 Premier League goals and registered a further 18 assists in the competition as he helped Chelsea to win titles in 2015 and 2017, while he also won a host of honours at Atletico Madrid, including the Copa Del Rey and La Liga.
With ten goals in 24 appearances for Spain and having played at two World Cups, the bullish forward will certainly bring big game experience to a Wolves side badly needing rejuvenation in the form of goals and points.
It’s highly unlikely the club will get the attacker who was at his peak between 2013-2017, but it could well be a surprising Lage masterstroke, as his season could well be saved by the addition of another goalscorer.
Jose Mourinho described Costa as an “animal” during his prime and the Old Gold certainly need some predatory instincts in the box to turn around their campaign.
