Don’t criticise Diego Costa, Chelsea fans, you would do the same
Diego Costa appears to be using this China situation to negotiate a more lucrative deal with Chelsea. Who can blame him for it?
The Diego Costa situation is still relatively unclear. The striker was reportedly involved in a major row with Antonio Conte and members of the Chelsea coaching staff, leading to his exclusion for the Leicester City game. However, a back injury was also a reason given for his absence.
The latest report in The Times (subscription required), though, claims that the striker is levying his China offer in an attempt to sign a better deal in West London. In fact, he has already rejected a £200,000 contract.
"Chelsea are believed to have offered Costa a five-year deal worth £200,000 a week — a £50,000 weekly increase on his existing wages — but the striker was unwilling to commit himself to the club…There are two schools of thought at Stamford Bridge: that he wants to move or that he is using Tianjin’s interest to gain an improved offer."
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These schools of thought can be easily reconciled as well. Costa is keen to take a reported £570,000-per-week contract unless the Blues can table more lucrative terms.
This will inevitably cause some fans to lambast the striker for his lack of loyalty or his greed, but who can blame Costa? Any individual would be blind to believe that such sums of money would not pique their interest.
While football is a sport and a vehicle for leisure in the perspective of the fans, it represents Costa’s livelihood. Hence, he is as entitled to maximise his returns in his job market as anyone else would in their own industry.
Just because football is not played behind a desk in an office doesn’t mean that the players are immune to pay negotiations.
For those concerned with the greed, this has nothing to do with it. Costa is literally staring a contract worth four-times his current terms in the face. It’s on the table, all he has to do is sign on the dotted line. To think that he would outright reject it and not use it as a tool to renegotiate his Blues deal is both naive and foolish.
Some may argue that these players should take some time to realise just how fortunate they are to be in this position. I would say that fans should realise that this is the nature of the football industry. Paying for tickets, Sky Sports subscriptions, replica shirts and bobbleheads fuel this cycle of money.
So, before Chelsea fans take the higher ground and criticise Costa, they should think about what they would do in his situation. And no, don’t even try to pretend that you would act much differently.