Former England captain Alan Shearer has stated that Chelsea should consider getting rid of Diego Costa if his behaviour becomes disruptive.
According to ESPN, the all-time Premier League leading goal scorer Alan Shearer has admitted that Chelsea might find it difficult to sustain their league credentials without Diego Costa, but should consider selling him if his attitude affects the harmony in the dressing room.
During his punditry on BBC’s Match of the Day 2 Extra, the former Newcastle striker said:
“He will dictate the situation. The players have the vast majority of the power. If the player does not want to be there, he will go. It depends how bad an apple he becomes. If it affects the dressing room, you have to get rid. Chelsea will miss Diego Costa. He has scored goals, provided assists and been the best player this season.”
A day before the weekend’s set of Premier League fixtures, news broke out that Costa had a bust up with manager Antonio Conte and was dropped from the travelling squad for the game against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.
The reason for the altercation with the Italian was reportedly due to Costa’s interest in moving to the Chinese Super League. Chelsea had recently rejected a £50 million bid from Chinese club Tianjin Quanjian that could have made the Spain international the world’s highest-paid footballer.
Subsequently, Costa was excluded from the eighteen-man matchday squad for the game against defending champions Chelsea as Conte opted to go with an attacking trio of Willian, Eden Hazard and Pedro.
While the media spokespersons had their own explanations of Costa’s exclusion, the Chelsea boss rebuffed news of any bust up with the player. In the post-match press conference, the former Juventus coach said the 28-year-old had a pain in his back which is why he did not train with the squad for the entire week.
It is now understood that prior to the alleged bust up with Conte, Costa rejected a contract extension at the London outfit as he has his heart set on leaving the club. Chelsea offered the attacker a tremendous pay hike – taking his salary to an impressive £200,000-per-week.
He was also offered a five-year-contract at the club amid interest from abroad, but to the surprise of many, he said no to the deal. It is now uncertain what the future holds for the player, and whether or not he can settle his disputes with the club hierarchy to start playing professional football once again.
