Frank Lampard Calls Diego Costa's Exit a 'Relief' to Chelsea After Messy Transfer Saga
Former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has given his take on the upcoming match between Chelsea and Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday.
The Blues are set for quite the tough week, having hit four past Stoke City on Saturday, with a match against Manchester City penned down to follow their away game against the Spanish side.
Lampard reckons that his former team will send out a real signal of intent if they can emerge from both matches unscathed.
As for the fixture against Atletico, the player-turned-pundit notes that the focus will be on Diego Costa, despite the Brazilian's ineligibility to feature. However, he doesn't believe that it will have an effect on Chelsea, a team he describes as being relieved to be finally rid of Costa.
"If he is unveiled on the pitch or is simply there to watch, I’m sure the lads will wish him well and get on with it," he wrote in his column for the Evening Standard.
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"Costa leaving will be a relief to Conte and Chelsea - it is the best thing for all concerned.
If it was just a case of selling a talented striker, then we’d be talking about what a great loss he is to the club. But he had to go.
"There was no way he could stay at Chelsea, given the events of the summer and the sooner he went, the better.
"It’s great for Costa, too. He needs to go and train properly before starting playing again in January. He couldn’t carry on staying in Brazil like he was, it wasn’t helping anybody."
