Seven Chelsea players who left too early: Felipe Luis, Begovic and others
Not too many Chelsea players stay long enough to overstay their welcome. Here are six who left the Blues too soon, perhaps just before the team needed them most.
Players leave Chelsea for the usual variety of reasons, but conflicts with managers seems to be a trend through this list. That’s a bit ironic since most managers don’t last much longer than the players they shove out the door.
1. Diego Costa (Olaoluwa Nwobodo)
Chelsea does not have a long list of strikers who have been deemed successful by general standards. Chelsea also, in recent times, have not been the most clinical of teams in London, to say nothing of the league or Europe. Finding strikers that are a perfect fit for Chelsea is a surprisingly difficult task, so when they are found, they should be kept.
Diego Costa was a perfect fit for Chelsea. He was a crucial part of the teams that won the 2014/15 and 2016/17 Premier League titles.
His technical ability was understated because of his domineering nature. He is an excellent finisher; he knew how to turn half-chances into goals. He could link-up with anybody, his positioning was top-drawer and – my favourite – he bullied defenders.
Costa was supposed to be the striker to help Chelsea cope with the absence of Didier Drogba. But he left too soon. It was heart-breaking, not just him leaving but the way he left.
Chelsea has not replaced Costa yet, and all the goals he brought, even after spending close to £120 million on strikers alone. It shows just how rare and special Costa was. With all the chances the Blues have created since Costa left, it makes you wonder what position Chelsea would be in now if Costa was there to finish a considerable number of them.
Costa was special because he showed from the get-go what he was all about. He was not just the perfect Chelsea striker, but he was the perfect Chelsea player. The perfect Chelsea man. A man whose mentality alone dragged Chelsea out of many ugly situations. He was a leader, a man who could, and often did, take a game by the scruff of the neck.
Chelsea did not have a lot of options available to them concerning the Costa – Antonio Conte situation, so selling him was fair, but you just can’t help but wonder what more Chelsea would have achieved with Costa leading the line.