Former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch has stated that Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri should “breaks the bank” to bring former Blues striker Diego Costa back to Stamford Bridge. Crouch is adamant that the return of the Brazil-born Spain international would remedy their current problems up front as he believes that if a top striker is not signed before next season, the Blues will not be title contenders due to their poor goal return.
“I have concerns about whether they will mount a proper title challenge next season,” Crouch said in an interview. He added: “Chelsea have scored the fewest goals of the top six sides. A return of 38 from 21 matches isn’t enough to win you a title, no matter how good your defence is. The one thing you need is someone to score you 30 goals and they do not have a player like Harry Kane, Mo Salah or Sergio Aguero.”
Crouch, who has scored one goal in 21 appearances for the Potters in the Championship this season, continued: “Not so long ago, they did. Diego Costa would absolutely transform Chelsea’s fortunes and, if it was down to me, I’d break the bank to re-sign him. You can talk about Gonzalo Higuain or Karim Benzema, but I think Costa would be the one to take Chelsea where they want to be.”
Costa won the Premier League twice in his three seasons at the club but fell out with former boss Antonio Conte, who sold him to Atletico Madrid in 2017 for £59.4 million. And Crouch questioned whether the current crop of strikers – Alvaro Morata in particular – would be able to carry the goalscoring burden of a title-chasing side and live up to the examples of Costa and Drogba before him.
But Costa has not been his prolific self this season, having scored just two goals in 14 appearances in the Spanish La Liga and UEFA Champions League this season, though, he has spent some time on the sidelines due to injury.