Chelsea captain John Terry has backed his new £32m comrade Diego Costa to serve the team well as a Blues player, hailing the Spaniard for his strong physical ability.
Former Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa finally completed his mega-money move to Stamford Bridge yesterday and joined Blues hard-man Terry on the players’ pre-season training session today.
The Spaniard, who had long-since topped Blues boss Jose Mourinho’s ‘most-wanted’ list, made a devastating impact on Chelsea during the semi-final fixtures of the Champions League tournament back in the spring.
Costa was one of the key Atletico players who proved instrumental in breaking down the west Londoners and sealing the Spanish heavyweights their place in the Champions League final – on aggregate (3-1).
A lasting impression was certainly left on captain Terry, 34 who, as a player also famed for his physical robustness, has acclaimed the strength and skill of the 25-year-old.
“First of all, his movement and his strength are really good, I was really surprised by it,” he told Chelsea’s official website.
The Chelsea skipper then made reference to the run-in he had with the Spanish hitman during the first leg of the Champions League semi-final clash at the Vicente Calderon Stadium in April.
“I think everyone remembers the square-up we had in the first 10 minutes of the first leg of our semi-final game against Atletico Madrid last season, after which I thought, ‘fair play’.
“He holds the ball up very well, he has got great movement and he is really physical, but he is very clever with his strength and the way he uses his body.
“I think he could be a very good signing for us,” he added.