Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink: 'Diego Costa vital to Chelsea'

Diego Costa of Chelsea in action during his side's Premier League clash with Southampton at St Mary's on October 30, 2016
© SilverHub
Former Chelsea star Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink urges the club to keep hold of Diego Costa amid reported interest from China.

Former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has urged the club not to sell top goalscorer Diego Costa.

The Dutchman, who scored 70 goals during a four-year stint at Stamford Bridge, has expressed concerns about how the Blues would cope with losing the striker amid interest from the Chinese Super League.

Reports suggest that interest from China has unsettled Costa, with Chelsea manager Antonio Conte leaving him out of his squad for the 3-0 win over Leicester City on Saturday.

"It's a difficult one. For Chelsea it's a very important one – he's the one scoring goals and leading the line," he told Sky Sports News.

"They played yesterday without him but I don't see them playing 10 games in a row without him and doing that.

"He's a very important player. I think he's the best striker in the league at this moment, with how he is playing."

Conte later insisted that Costa's omission was due to injury.

Diego Costa celebrates scoring during the Premier League game between Middlesbrough and Chelsea on November 20, 2016
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Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Chelsea21171345153052
2Tottenham HotspurSpurs21136243142945
3Liverpool21136249242545
4Arsenal21135348222644
5Manchester CityMan City21133541261542
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd21117332201240
7Everton219663223933
8West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom218582828029
9Stoke CityStoke217682733-627
10Burnley2182112331-826
11Bournemouth2174103037-725
12West Ham UnitedWest Ham2174102635-925
13Southampton216691926-724
14Watford2165102336-1323
15Leicester CityLeicester2156102434-1021
16Middlesbrough214891722-520
17Crystal Palace2144133040-1016
18Hull City2144132045-2516
19Sunderland2143142040-2015
20Swansea CitySwansea2143142349-2615