Former Chelsea striker Diego Costa joins Wolves until end of season

Veteran attacker returns to Premier League as free agent

Wolves unveil new signing Diego Costa at Molineux. Getty

Premier League side Wolves have completed the signing of veteran striker Diego Costa on a deal until the end of the season.

Costa has been available as a free agent since January after leaving Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro but Wolves had to appeal for a work permit after the 33-year-old had his initial application rejected.

The attacker's arrival will come as a welcome relief to manager Bruno Lage who lost new £15 million signing Sasa Kalajdzic to a serious knee injury and has key striker Raul Jimenez struggling for form and fitness.

Wolves have scored just three goals in their opening six games of the Premier League season and sit 14th in the table with six points.

“It’s a first-class club with very good players who know how to play football and having the chance to play in the Premier League again was the main thing,” said Costa, who has scored 10 goals in 24 appearances for Spain but won the last of his caps in 2018.

“Obviously, the club influenced my decision, especially knowing I will be able to adapt a lot more easily here not only from a technical point of view, the quality of the players but also from the fact that a lot of the players are Portuguese and that will make my transition that much smoother.

“It wasn’t in the best terms possible on accounts of a player’s injury which, unfortunately, I can only wish him nothing but the best.

“But when he [manager Lage] told me about returning to the Premier League since this [is] a championship I have related to quite a bit, always liked it and followed. No matter how much I enjoyed playing in Madrid, I felt discouraged, but this motivated me. It lit that fire within me.”

Costa won two Premier League titles and a League Cup during a three-season spell at Chelsea from 2014 to 2017. The Brazil-born attacker scored 59 goals in 120 games at the London club before moving back to La Liga side Atletico Madrid.

Wolves chairman Jeff Shi said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Diego Costa to Wolves, and back to the Premier League.

“A serial winner with a wealth of experience at the highest level, Diego will bring something unique to our dressing room and on the pitch, and we look forward to his impact at Molineux.”