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Chelsea news: Sky Sports pundit makes Diego Costa admission ahead of Man City clash
CHELSEA sorely miss Diego Costa in the dressing room right now as he would have been able to lift the mood.
Chelsea haven't been the same since Diego Costa left
Those are the thoughts of Sky Sports pundit Nigel Reo-Coker.
After burning his bridges with Antonio Conte last summer, Costa left Stamford Bridge and rejoined Atletico Madrid.
Although Costa’s replacement Alvaro Morata made a quick start to his Chelsea career, scoring eight goals in seven appearances, his form has tailed off.
Conte brought in Olivier Giroud in January, but the west London outfit aren’t guaranteed of a top-four finish.
And Reo-Coker thinks Costa is just the kind of player the Blues could do with to lift them from their current malaise.
New signing Diego Costa unveiled to Atletico Madrid
You look at Chelsea and think they’d love to have Costa now. There’s a character they’d be happy to have
“I think the biggest problem is that he hasn’t had control,” Reo-Coker told Sky Sports’ The Debate.
“You look at Chelsea and think they’d love to have Diego [Costa] now.
“There’s a character they’d be happy to have right now.
“He’d make a big difference in this Chelsea side with what they are going through.”
Nigel Reo-Coker reckons deep down Antonio Conte will be missing Diego Costa
Chelsea travel to take on Manchester City on Sunday (4pm) and Reo-Coker doesn’t thinks Conte’s heart is in it even though he will be looking forward to pitting his wits against Guardiola.
He added: “Conte will relish his battle with Guardiola.
“But he doesn’t want to be there and the players surely must sense that and see that.
“He’s trying to talk himself out of a job.”
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