Waching daily Sep 3 2017

Chelsea open the door for a potential Diego Costa return

Diego Costa may play for Chelsea once again. Just when you think every bridge possible has been burned between Chelsea and Diego Costa, you learn that a small olive branch has been extended.

The Blues have cracked the door open for the enigmatic striker to make a sensational return to Stamford Bridge.

Cynics might claim that the club's decision to include Costa in their 25-man Premier League squad list is just designed to avoid a legal battle with their prolific striker.

His inclusion on the Chelsea roster will prevent he or his representatives from making a claim that the club have prevented him from playing football this season.

That explanation is just too simplistic for me. Don't forget, Antonio Conte spent most of Deadline Day working desperately to bring Fernando Llorente in. That proves that the former Italy boss believes his squad is short of a big, physical centre forward.

Say what you will about Costa, but he certainly fits that profile. He isn't the Premier League's quickest striker, but his physicality and finishing ability have been exceptional for Chelsea over the past several seasons.

If Conte really believes his squad needs a striker like that to complement Alvaro Morata and Michy Batshuayi then Costa could be the perfect remedy.

Sure, there's a ton of bad blood between the two egomaniacs, but it's not as if Chelsea are blessed with many other options at the moment.

The transfer window has slammed shut and they don't have the ability to add anyone else. Conte is facing the harsh reality that he can either bring Costa back to England or defend his Premier League title without a physical striker.

Costa isn't blessed with a ton of options either. He clearly wants to engineer a return to Atletico Madrid, but their transfer ban combined with the close of the Spanish transfer window has ended those dreams for the moment.

It's quite likely Chelsea is his only real option before December.

If we've learned anything by watching Diego Costa over the years, it's that it is impossible to predict what he's going to do next. Don't be surprised if he shocks us all and returns to Chelsea in the coming weeks.

Stranger things have certainly happened in the world of football.