Chelsea wantaway striker Diego Costa appears to have finally wrangled the move he has been angling for, back to Atletico Madrid and their shiny new stadium.
The statement on Atletico Madrid's website:
Atletico Madrid defeated Athletic Bilbao 2-1 at the San Mames on Tuesday to continue their unbeaten start to league play after five matches. But anemic draws against Girona and Valencia find them trailing Barcelona by four points, and you can’t fight the feeling that despite the continued excellence of players like Koke and Antoine Griezmann, there’s a Diego Costa-sized hole in this Atleti side.
It’s likely that a lot of fans were sad about the Vicente Calderón Stadium being replaced. Few stadiums had the character and sheer loudness of the Calderón, but the truth is that the people will get over it quickly.
The new Wanda Metropolitano is a 68,0000 seat beauty that cost €240million to build. It’s entire exterior and roof of the interior will be illuminated with the red and white of Atletico Madrid.
The first game in the Wanda Metropolitano will be September 16th against Malaga with the first Champions League game to September 27th against Chelsea.
There’s no question that Diego Simeone is the best thing to ever happen to Atletico Madrid. The Argentine’s appointment in December of 2011 ushered in the club’s most successful spell in the modern era. That Simeone has been able to accomplish as much during the height of Lionel Messi’s powers at Barcelona and Cristiano Ronaldo’s at Real Madrid only adds to his legend.
I have already discussed the notion that Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is a hit man, and soon the whole world might get the proof it needs to accept this idea.
Here's Conte when asked about striker Diego Costa, who is currently pining as hard as he can for a move to Atletico Madrid, so much so that instead of flying from Brazil to Chelsea to report for training like he was told, he got on a plane to Madrid instead.
Atletico Madrid are in Mexico for a series of friendlies, and manager Diego Simeone is finding the country to his liking. The Argentine, known for his intensity and his being linked to seemingly a different club every week, has built Atletico Madrid into a powerhouse despite limited resources compared to rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona.
He also has a bit of an adventurous spirit, judging by his comments regarding a potential move to Mexico.