Could this Serie A star step into Costa’s boots?

Could this Serie A star step into Costa’s boots?

Chelsea returned to Premier League action with a bang this week as they kept the pressure up on Tottenham with a 4-2 win over Claude Puel’s Southampton.

One of the Blues’ heroes on Tuesday night was striker Diego Costa, who got back in amongst the goals with a fine brace against the Saints, yet speculation has been rife over the last few months about his long-term future at Stamford Bridge.

Conte has been linked with a move for Torino striker Andrea Belotti, who currently sits atop of the goal-scoring charts in Serie A alongside former Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko.

Recent reports suggest that he is a target for Chelsea, and with Costa’s future in West London far from certain, it looks like a move that could happen in the summer.

There’s little doubt that Costa has been outstanding for Chelsea over the past few years, even if last season wasn’t his best.

The Spain international scored 21 goals in 37 appearances in his first season at the club to help Jose Mourinho’s men win the title, and he still managed 16 last time out even though he was widely regarded to be below his best for much of the campaign.

However, like most of the Chelsea team, the 28-year-old has been back to his best this season with 19 goals in 31 Premier League appearances, and it’s arguable that it was his goals over the autumn and winter period of the campaign, like in the narrow wins over Middlesbrough, Tottenham, West Brom, and Crystal Palace, that have all but won Conte’s side the title this term.

It’s not just his goals though that have been significant, as Costa has also laid on six assists in the Premier League this term, meaning he has been involved in more goals for Chelsea this season than any other player, with his 25 clear of Hazard with 20, and Pedro with 15.

Clearly, Costa is hugely important to this Chelsea team, but with reports and rumours gathering pace about a potential departure, you beg to wonder how happy he really is at Stamford Bridge.

Furthermore, when you can potentially bring someone in as good as Belotti, letting the Spaniard leave this summer may not be as bad an idea as it first seems.

Torino’s Belotti has developed into one of the best strikers in European football this season, the Italy international has scored 25 goals in just 30 Serie A games for the club to help them to ninth place in the table, and with five other assists as well, it means that he has been involved in just under half of their league goals this season.

Belotti is an all round striker capable of both scoring goals and creating them – in fact, in his last appearance for Torino, he didn’t net, but provided a key assist as they beat Chievo 3-1.

Obviously, coming to the Premier League would pose a different challenge for Belotti, but for him to have scored the amount of goals he has in a notoriously difficult league like Serie A suggests that he has got something about him.

Ultimately, both are quality forwards who know where the net is and have proven themselves in at least one of Europe’s top leagues, yet with Belotti at the age of 23 and with Costa rumoured to want out of Chelsea, the Blues should turn to the Italian to lead them over the coming years.