The summer transfer window for the 2017-18 football season was one of the most historic for a number of reasons.
First we saw two of the biggest signings in history. That feat would be courtesy of Paris St. Germain. The French football powerhouse signed two of the brightest and dynamic footballers in the entire world in Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
Suddenly, the race for the Champions League seemed to be as wide open as it has been for years. With FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, FC Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Manchester City, Juventus, and Paris Saint-Germain all rolling out brilliant starting elevens, it has become anyone’s opportunity to finish the season as champion of Europe.
One of the most high-profile transfer sagas came out of English champions Chelsea, with striker Diego Costa – apparently unwanted by manager Antonio Conte – seeking a move back to former club Atletico Madrid.
If you play fantasy football, then you will have seen how valuable Costa was to Chelsea as he helped them capture the Premier League. Costa was a part of the Blues squad for just about three seasons and during that time he was one of their best strikers, notching 59 goals.
Unfortunately for Costa, once manager Antonio Conte made the move to bring in young Spanish superstar Alvaro Morata from Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid for a massive transfer fee, Costa became expendable.
Costa cost Chelsea just 30 million pounds three years ago but they sold him back to Atletico for a generous profit of nearly 20 million pounds. Costa will be welcomed back to Atletico with open arms as they have been missing a complementary striker to superstar Antoine Griezmann.
Despite their success in recent years, Atletico have been one of the slowest teams in the league. They have usually relied on their strong defensive tactics to eek out victories.
The combination of impenetrable defence and quick counter attacks have been helping Atletico finish in the top three of La Liga and deep in the Champions League for the last handful of years.
But now that the club again has a prolific striker like Costa, the team will be able to take on a new shape and a new playing style that will create opportunities for the rest of the side.
The question for Atletico is this: will the addition of Costa be enough for them to take down their domestic arch rivals, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona?
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