Various rumours have been circulating about the future of Diego Costa for quite a while now. The controversial striker had a very disappointing season last time out and many are speculating that he might be fancying a return to his former club, Atletico Madrid. Although Conte has stated that Costa is going anywhere, it is still extremely possible he might end up leaving. Chelsea have already strengthened their attacking options by signing the highly rated youngster, Michy Batshuayi from Marseille. There have been mentions of Chelsea looking to resign Romelu Lukaku from Everton. The Belgian has turned out to be a fine striker despite not finding much success in his stint at Chelsea. A return is very much possible as Chelsea has always been his dream club. Although, Everton will want a fee in excess of £50m and it’ll be interesting to see if the Blues are willing to shell out that much cash.
Three replacements for Costa that Chelsea can sign, apart from Lukaku, are:
Alvaro Morata
The Spaniard has been linked with a move to Chelsea which is interesting since Real Madrid just bought him back from Juventus by enacting the buyback clause in his contract. Morata scored 7 goals and made 7 assists in the Serie A last season. While he is good going forward and is good at taking on players, what might really catch Conte’s eye is that his defensive contribution is good. Conte is a manager who demands a very high work ethic from his players and this is something that should impress him.
Pierre- Emerick Aubameyang
The Dortmund man has been in terrific form ever since he moved to the German club. He scored 25 goals in the Bundesliga last season which is a very impressive return. He was announced as the African Footballer of the Year for 2015 after scoring around 40 goals throughout the year in various competitions. He’s quick and good on the counter-attack which can go well with Conte’s tactics.
Alexandre Lacazette
The highly rated Frenchman scored 21 goals in Ligue 1 for Lyon last season. While West Ham and Arsenal have already seen bids rejected for him, playing for a coach like Conte could appeal for him. He also created 1.26 chances per game last season which is more than Aubameyang, Morata and Costa managed. He is calm in front of goal which helps him in being a clinical finisher. He’s also strong with his back towards goal in his holdup play.
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