Richards Calls On City To Sign Ex Chelsea Ace As He Backs Him To Have Same Impact As Cavani

Richards Calls On City To Sign Ex Chelsea Ace As He Backs Him To Have Same Impact As Cavani

Ex-Manchester City defender Micah Richards has recommended that his former club sign Diego Costa on a free transfer to strengthen their options up front.

Sergio Aguero is currently unavailable after picking up the virus, and he is also struggling with a knee injury, so Richards thinks snapping up the ex-Chelsea striker would be a good short-term solution:

“If they signed Diego Costa now, he would win them the Premier League – I am sure of it. Costa is 32 and I am not suggesting he is a long-term solution for City up front, but the former Chelsea striker is a free agent after ending his Atletico Madrid contract in December, and can sign for anyone for nothing.”


“Why not get him in until the end of the season? He would do more than just ruffle a few feathers and be a pain in the backside for opposition defences – he is a proven finisher who would offer Pep Guardiola’s side a proper plan B.”

Richards likens the potential transfer as akin to what Manchester United did with Edinson Cavani, bringing in an experienced player for free who can add a different option to Guardiola’s other forwards:

“If you want an example of the impact Costa could have, then look at what Edinson Cavani has done for Manchester United this season.”

One thing Richards is forgetting about, though, is Costa’s personality. While he is certainly someone who can ruffle feathers on the pitch, he is just as likely to do the same thing in the dressing room.

Guardiola has dealt with strong personalities in the past, although his falling out with Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Barcelona suggests he may not be the best coach for Costa. It’s an unlikely transfer but we’ll see if anything develops.

David Tully

David Tully

David has worked as a football reporter for the last fifteen years. Having started as an intern at Snack Media, he then went on to become a freelancer, working on various different sites. At the start of 2023, he took up his current role as content writer for National World's Football News Network.