Mourinho Tips Costa Shine At Chelsea

Jose Mourinho believes Diego Costa is tailor-made for the Premier League and can match the impact made at Chelsea by Didier Drogba.

The striker completed a 32 million pound move from Atletico Madrid earlier this month after being heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge and is one of three summer arrivals in west London.

Costa scored 36 goals in all competitions last season and Mourinho believes he is the heir apparent to Drogba — and is already even better in some areas of his game.

“It is easy to see a big, strong guy using his body, attacking spaces, holding up the ball and pressing people. But, with proper football eyes, the guy is much more than that,” Mourinho told reporters at Chelsea’s pre-season training camp in Austria.

“The movement is incredible, the intelligence is amazing, the choices he makes in terms of movement are fantastic.

“The guy is a real top striker. I can say that because I’ve known him for a long time. Even the older players with us — [Branislav] Ivanovic, [John] Terry — they say it’s fantastic that he’s coming because he is so strong.

“They say he is good in the air but, after three or four days of training, they change their opinion. They say he is much better than that. They thought about his physical presence, but he is much more than that.

“Diego is made. Physically, mentally, Diego is an end-product. The Premier League is difficult and he knows — he is ready. To play with the Chelsea responsibilities and pressure, he knows and he is ready, too.

“I don’t think it will be difficult for him to succeed. I feel he is the right guy to help the team to win things. He just needs to work with the new players, the new team and the new coach to adapt his football to a different way of playing.”