Keeping Costa is a disaster for Chelsea!

(Baonghean.vn) - Recently, rumors have surfaced about striker Costa's intention to leave Stamford Bridge, causing Chelsea fans great concern for the team's journey to conquer the Premier League title.

Indeed, if Costa were to leave London right now, Chelsea's strength would be significantly affected. To date, after 21 Premier League matches (Costa missed one due to suspension), the Spanish player has scored 14 goals for the Stamford Bridge side. Most of his goals have directly secured three points for The Blues. Examples include the goal that made it 2-1 in the Chelsea-West Ham match, or the only goal in the 1-0 victory against Middlesbrough...

Costa's importance to Chelsea over the past few seasons and in manager Conte's current squad is undeniable. Possessing powerful attacking abilities, a fierce fighting spirit, and a superb killer instinct, Costa is a highly dangerous ace in the Stamford Bridge attack. But important doesn't mean irreplaceable, especially since Costa is deliberately shirking his responsibilities.

Striker Costa is causing a "rebellion" at Chelsea. Photo: Internet.

According to The Sun, Costa is making a fuss with Chelsea, demanding a salary of £300,000 per week, double his current earnings of £150,000 per week. The Brazilian-born player's demands stem from recent interest from several clubs, most notably Tianjin Quanjian from the Chinese Super League, who have promised Costa a salary of around £30 million per year.

Taking advantage of the situation, the former Atletico Madrid striker acted rather aggressively towards the Chelsea management, forcing manager Conte to exclude him from the squad for the match against Leicester City. This was the first time this season that the 28-year-old was not included in the Chelsea lineup, despite not being suspended or injured. His absence was understood as an internal disciplinary action taken by manager Conte.

Modern football is dominated by the power of money. Most players are willing to abandon their love for their team to pursue lucrative contracts. Once their "heart wavers," it's difficult for that player to wholeheartedly dedicate themselves to the club, no matter how professional they are. And of course, Costa is no exception. With a player willing to refuse to play for his home country of Brazil to play for Spain, it's not impossible that Costa might deliberately rebel at Chelsea.

That would be extremely dangerous for the Stamford Bridge team. Under manager Conte, The Blues have become a much more united team compared to last season. If Costa is "body in London but mind elsewhere," it will certainly have significant repercussions for the Chelsea dressing room, and their on-field performance will also be negatively affected. Historically, the Stamford Bridge dressing room has always been considered one of the most complicated in England; even Mourinho had to leave twice in bitterness, which speaks volumes about the potential risks involved.

However, Chelsea fans shouldn't be too worried about the prospect of the team being without Costa. In the last two matches without Costa, Chelsea have secured all three points. In fact, the Stamford Bridge side even won convincingly thanks to the brilliance of their "substitutes." For example, in the Boxing Day match between Chelsea and Bournemouth, Hazard and Pedro scored (along with an own goal from Steve Cook of Bournemouth) to help Conte's team win 3-0.

Thanks to the brilliant performances of Pedro and Willian, Chelsea still won convincingly even without Costa. Photo: Internet.

Most recently, in Chelsea's away match at Leicester City's King Power Stadium, Marcos Alonso (with a brace) and Pedro scored to secure three points. This demonstrates that manager Conte is capable of adapting in case Costa is sidelined or moves to another club. Furthermore, with the winter transfer window in full swing, owner Abramovic can easily provide any player Conte desires to replace Costa.

Recent developments suggest that Russian owner Abramovic will not let Costa leave this January, as the team aims to win the Premier League title. If star striker Costa stays, as Chelsea fans expect, it could actually be a case of "more harm than good" for the Stamford Bridge club.

Thanh Hung