Football Comment: Costa fortunes are key to Chelsea
Champions Manchester City may have had a quiet summer but their Premier League rivals have all spent big on stars who they hope will turn them from also-rans into prize-winners.
Chelsea’s key buy is Diego Costa. They have also splashed out on Cesc Fabregas, but the Brazil-born Spain striker is the signing with most riding on it. If he justifies his £32m fee he could transform the Blues and prove a worthy long-term replacement for Didier Drogba. If he doesn’t, they’ll find themselves in the same hole as last season, with Fernando Torres and Drogba, now too old, unable to spearhead a title challenge. Diego Costa had the worst of World Cups but I gather his new team-mates have been pleasantly surprised by his technical ability. Jose Mourinho must be convinced he’ll thrive in England and my hunch is that he’s right.
Ander Herrera, like Costa, is the signing with the potential to solve Manchester United’s own problem position. The Spanish midfielder has shown on United’s US tour that he has a great engine and technique. He is an all-action player, and can revive an area stale without the inspiration of Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs. A £30m fee no longer guarantees you a match-winner, but consistent high-level displays will be expected. I think United have got this one right.
Alexis Sanchez, unlike Costa, had a phenomenal World Cup. The key to whether he proves a hit at Arsenal will be where Arsene Wenger deploys him. The versatile Sanchez can bring pace, movement and intelligence to both wide and central areas, but, for me, he has to operate as the Gunners’ main forward. Wenger can use Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the flanks, but Sanchez would be wasted out there and, if not 30 goals, can deliver 20 a season as a striker.
I worry for Liverpool. Luis Suarez, their heartbeat and contributor to so many goals, has gone and they have no adequate replacement. On top of that, I expect Steven Gerrard to have a difficult season. He is still relied on, but at 34 it will be hard to contribute for a whole campaign. If Brendan Rodgers can keep Liverpool in the top four it will be a brilliant achievement.
City, meanwhile, have not signed anyone to make a difference to their title-winning team, but that means they won’t have to adapt to a new style of play. They are the most settled team in the pack and that could be their biggest advantage.