Last month, Thibaut Courtois did his best Gerard Pique impression, and of course it's come back to bite him.
Like the Barcelona centre-back, who informed everyone that Neymar was staying on Twitter, only for the Brazilian to depart for PSG in a world-record move, Courtois Tweeted "Se Queda", which translates to "He stays" when it was confirmed that Diego Costa had not moved to Atletico Madrid in the summer transfer window despite the Spain international having his heart set on a return to the Spanish capital.
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His Tweet, more of a joke than an pledge that Costa, who he also played with when on loan at Atletico Madrid, would be going nowhere, promptly blew up on September 1.
At that point, Costa looked to be remaining a Chelsea player despite being deemed surplus to requirements, as the transfer window had closed. However, it was confirmed yesterday that Chelsea and Atletico had struck an agreement, said to be around £57 million, for the sale of Costa, who will undergo a medical and discuss personal terms with his former employers Atleti, though he will not be able to take to the pitch until January rolls around, when the club's transfer embargo is lifted.
His relationship with Antonio Conte soured and that has now ultimately led to his eventful three-year stint at Stamford Bridge coming to an end. After his £32 million move in 2014, Costa was hugely influential in the two Premier League title wins Chelsea achieved in 2014/15 and 2016/17 respectively, and scored 59 goals in 120 appearances.
Image: PA
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However, his contributions were not enough to warrant a lengthy goodbye message on the Chelsea official website, the Blues making it seem like he was just another player at Stamford Bridge.
All Costa got was 30 words in which his contribution at the club was not mentioned at all, and the article merely informed fans that terms with Atletico had been agreed.
Image: Chelsea FC
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As pointed out by The Mirror, his message is nothing compared to the 711-word post Nemanja Matic, also a two-time Premier League winner at the club, received.
Images: Chelsea FC
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Despite moving to a rival in Manchester United, under former boss Jose Mourinho, Chelsea spoke glowingly of the Serbian and gave him a comprehensive tribute that ended with the words "we wish him well for the future".
Costa turned out for Atleti between 2010 and 2014, scoring 64 times in 135 appearances and helping Los Rojiblancos to the 2014 La Liga title and 2013 Copa Del Rey as well as the 2014 Champions League final, where they were eventually beaten 4-1 by city rivals Real Madrid.
Topics: Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, Diego Costa, Thibaut Courtois
