Simeone explains why Diego Costa was brought in

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simonei revealed the return of striker Diego Costa Rochi Blancos again during the summer transfer period.

"Costa would not have played here without his efforts with Chelsea," Simeone said in an interview with the radio program on the radio station Cadena Ser.

"Atletico could not afford to pay any other player at the same level or better than Costa," he said.

"We know that Costa's effort is worth a lot, but people want Costa at the same level when he left us, so he has to do a lot of work," said Simeone.

The coach believes that the start of Atletico this season was good, taking into account that the team was unable to make new contracts, because of the penalty signed by the International Federation of Football Association (FIFA), because of irregularities in the contracts of the club with short players.

Atletico had one point in the Champions League, after a 1-1 draw against Roma and a 2-1 loss to Chelsea. Simeone said the English team was playing very heavily, but the situation could change in two weeks.

The Argentine coach revealed that he did not set any conditions to renew his contract with Atletico until 2020, and that this decision was made based on the needs of the club, adding that he wanted to retain the players because of the knowledge that the team will compete with them.

"I think Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern are better than Atletico now," he said. He also praised the coach, Zinedine Zidane, and Barcelona's Lionel Messi.

The coach confirmed that he was confident that Frenchman Antoine Grizmann continued with Atletico, indicating that he does not close the door to the inclusion of new players or the departure of some during the next transfer season.