Diego Costa the Wrong Move but Atletico Madrid Right to Look at Striker Options

Atletico Madrid have been quick about their work in getting involved in the January transfer market, and recent media reports suggest they might still have more to say in spending and altering their squad.

Augusto Fernandez has been recruited from Celta Vigo and Matias Kranevitter has completed his pending move from River Plate in the opening days of the month, while John Cross of the Mirror now reports Atleti making a bid for former striker Diego Costa that Chelsea have rejected.

While the signing of a new forward—one with tenacity, movement and goalscoring ability—would be a good move for Atleti, the suspicion has to be that they would be better off looking elsewhere rather than returning to Costa, who was such a success with them in 2014.

Margins and Misfires

Atletico sit top of La Liga after Jornada 18, having leapfrogged Barcelona thanks to a late win over Levante at the weekend.

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Recent results have been largely good, but the same can't necessarily be said for the performances throughout the 90 minutes. Atleti have been getting the job done, but they have not made it easy for themselves, especially in the final third.

The likes of Jackson Martinez and Fernando Torres continue to misfire in front of goal, and Luciano Vietto has been similarly inconsistent. Better from the team in the final third is required and, if the Costa report is to be believed, it's no surprise that Diego Simeone has asked the club to look elsewhere as a result.

Back to the Costa

Costa was a big part of the team which won La Liga in 2014 and almost claimed the Champions League too.

However, the 27-year-old headed off to Chelsea that summer after a last month or two during which his hamstring problems had become more apparent than his goalscoring prowess.

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The Spain international impressed hugely at Chelsea initially, but he only had three goals in 14 Premier League games this term before turning around his form of late, adding a further three in two. Costa also only netted three league goals last season from mid-January onward, partly due to injury and suspension. 

His aggression, work rate and output with Atleti are part of what made him a success at the Vicente Calderon last time out and suggest he would at least tactically fit the role again now, but the squad has moved on somewhat.

With more technical, talented and precocious young players around, they are more in need of a role model who can net goals and absorb pressure while still being able to get game time alongside, rather than Costa who is going to play most minutes and not really be a best-fit profile to follow in the future.

There's also the senior players to consider: Jackson would presumably make way and Fernando Torres' confidence could suffer too, if an established starter joined the squad.

Add in the risk of not seeing Costa back to his best and it's clear that he'd be a risky signing—not that it currently matters, with Chelsea reported to have rejected the bid.

Options and Alternatives

Atletico need someone to step up and be a regular, reliable success in the final third—to help them kill off games more quickly when they dominate and help out Antoine Griezmann by notching match-winning strikes.

One option is to continue to back Jackson in the hope that something clicks for the Colombian, that he finds his groove in red and white and turns up with a run of three or four goals in a month. Were that to happen, it's feasible his sudden upsurge in form and confidence could last until the end of the season.

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Alternatively, playing a more forceful attacking midfielder in behind a lone striker—Correa, Thomas or even Saul might be good starting points—is likely to be an in-game rotation rather than a regular starting system for Atleti.

If Atleti are looking for a hard-working forward who wouldn't cost a substantial fee but is in scoring form, Deportivo La Coruna's Lucas Perez will soon be attracting transfer interest if he isn't already, while Marseille's Michy Batshuayi would be suited to the role—but would also cost far more to sign.

Atletico, top at almost the midway point of La Liga's season, can continue their spell in first place—but they'll need more goals from somewhere to ensure it happens. Costa isn't the long-term solution to that issue.

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