A bit of transfer window post-mortem from Diego Simeone ahead of La Liga’s opening weekend, as Atléti look to continue their successes of recent seasons ... but will have to do so without former striker Diego Costa, who, unlike Filipe Luis the summer before, did not fall into temptation to return to the Spanish capital.
“The club worked on the possibility of Diego Costa's arrival and after that did not advance, we were always very clear with Gameiro. Always.”
“When I spoke on the phone with him (Gameiro), I told him we wanted to bring Costa and he was the alternative. I bet entirely on him and he wanted to be the forward to join us this year.”
-Diego Simeone; source: Mail
After all the rumors, lies, and denials, the truth eventually comes out. Turns out Chelsea aren’t the only club who cannot always secure their primary transfer targets!
The Costa saga featured one of my favorite turns of the summer — Atlético president Cerezo trying to make nice after Chelsea issued him and his loose lips a public hands-off warning — though I’d be surprised if we didn’t have to revisit this situation at the end of next season once again, especially if #CostaCrimes continues to be a thing in the media.
Has @diegocosta been unfairly targeted? 'The Filth & The Fury!' https://t.co/o9uDn5to9c …
— Chelsea FanCast (@ChelseaFanCast) August 18, 2016