Wolves to appeal after Diego Costa fails to qualify for work permit
Diego Costa’s move to Wolves hangs in the balance after the striker failed to meet the requirements for a work permit.
The 33-year-old is set to fly into England tonight and have a medical tomorrow ahead of a one-year deal, but Wolves are now waiting on the outcome of an appeal to determine whether they can sign Costa.
To earn a permit, in the post-Brexit points system, a player is judged on the quality of the league of their last club, their minutes played and their international appearances.
Costa has not played for Spain since 2018 and left his last club, Brazilian outfit Atletico Mineiro, in January – meaning he has not automatically qualified for a work permit.
A player needs 15 points to automatically qualify and Costa lands somewhere in the 10-14 points range, meaning Wolves can appeal the decision.
A three-person panel will now decide whether or not to grant Costa a permit and it then needs to be ratified by the FA.
Wolves also need to prove that ‘exceptional circumstances’ prevented Costa picking up 15 points and automatically qualifying for the permit to have any hope of one being granted, meaning that his move to Molineux is on a knife edge. In addition, it is understood that the panel take into account the experience and value of the player in these circumstances, meaning Wolves may benefit from Costa’s impressive career to date.
Wolves want to sign the former Chelsea and Atletico Madrid man on a one-year deal to bolster their attacking options after new £15.4million arrival Sasa Kalajdzic suffered a serious knee injury on his debut.
Kalajdzic had been recruited last week from Stuttgart to ease the burden on Raul Jimenez, who has struggled with both form and fitness, but the towering striker will now spend several months on the sidelines.
Costa has been a free agent since leaving Atletico Mineiro in January. The Spain international scored 59 goals during a three-year stay at Chelsea between 2014 and 2017.
Bruno Lage and Wolves had been keen to add a taller and stronger striker to their squad, hence the signing of 6ft 7in Kalajdzic, and their pursuit of Costa is hoped to fill the same void.
If that move falls through, reports have suggested that Wolves could move for former Albion striker Andy Carroll, who is currently a free agent after leaving the Baggies at the end of last season.
