Bullet dodged, or big miss?
Chelsea striker and chief wind-up-merchant Diego Costa has revealed he was close to signing for Liverpool while at Atletico Madrid.
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In news that could have Reds both sighing with relief but also pulling their hair out at a missed opportunity, Costa says he was close to leaving the reigning La Liga champions but decided to remain loyal having only recently won his place in the Spanish capital side.
“I was close to leaving, Liverpool are a great team,” said Costa, reports Daily Star.
“But after fighting so hard and overcoming difficulties to get my place at Atletico, how could I leave?
“I thought it was very important to keep growing at the Colchoneros [Atletico Madrid], and play here for many years.”
Whilst it’s obvious he’s a fine striker with 17 Premier League goals this season, and no doubt a key reason Chelsea are leading the table, it’s debatable whether anyone would want him at the club.
There’s no doubting his skill, but he comes with a reputation and a style of play and aggression that would hardly guarantee positive PR for Liverpool Football Club.
You need only look at his performance against us in the Capital One Cup against us to see what kind of a player he is, and would you really want that at Liverpool?
Ben Smith of the BBC reported in the summer of 2013 that we had bid £21 million for the Spanish international activating his release clause, but perhaps we were indeed lucky not to get him.
What do you think? Would you overlook Costa’s aggressive game for the sake of his goals, or should someone with that style of play not represent our club?