Chelsea manager-to-be Antonio Conte, has a difficult job ahead of him after Euro 2016, to keep the Blues’ top marksman Diego Costa at the Stamford Bridge. However, reports from England suggest that the Italian will try to do exactly that.
The Italian was confirmed as the new manager scheduled to take over at the club after his contract with the Italian national team runs over in July. Conte has signed a three year deal that binds him to Chelsea till 2019, for a reported sum of around £15 million, which is almost half of what Jose Mourinho was getting at Stamford Bridge.
According to The Guardian, one of Conte’s first tasks when he joins Chelsea, will be to hold talks with star striker Diego Costa, as he intends to keep the Spain international at Chelsea.
Although Chelsea are 25 points behind Premier League leaders Leicester City, Costa has been crucial for the Blues’ 14-match unbeaten run in the league, having scored 11 Premier League goals so far.
However, Costa is reportedly not happy with all the criticism directed at him in England for his on-field antics, and wants a move to La Liga. He has failed to cement his place as the top striker of the Spanish national team, having scored just once in 10 appearances, and is said to believe that a move back to Altetico Madrid could help him in this regard too.
Conte needs as many quality strikers as possible
Conte has shown a preference for the 3-5-2 or the 3-4-3 formation during his time at Juventus and in the Italian national team. For this kind of formation, he needs a number of top quality forwards who can operate in tandem with each other.
While there have been strong rumours linking Everton striker Romelu Lukaku with a move back to Chelsea, this may not mean the end of Costa’s career at the club. A combination of the two up front could turn out to be quite a formidable partnership, as Lukaku is also an admirable player and has scored 18 goals for the Toffees this season.
