Wolves can’t pay £100k-a-week for ‘glorified cheerleader’ at Molineux | OneFootball

Wolverhampton Wanderers would be making a big decision to extend Diego Costa’s contract at Molineux beyond the end of the season, journalist Dean Jones has suggested to GIVEMESPORT.

Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui has utilised the striker’s services in the second half of the season.

According to MailOnline at the start of the month, Wolves are weighing up whether to offer Costa a new deal at Molineux after Lopetegui was “impressed” by his contributions to the team in the second half of the season.

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However, Wanderers must consider what impact he’s likely to have on the team next term, with the 34-year-old thought to be earning slightly less than the £100,000 per-week being picked up by Raul Jimenez and Joao Moutinho.

However, in an Instagram post this week, Costa seemed to insinuate that his future had been decided, with the striker hosting a farewell barbecue and uploading a video in which he claimed he would miss forward Matheus Cunha.

Respected journalist Pete O’Rourke has recently told GIVEMESPORT that the experienced centre-forward’s “best days are probably behind him.”

And Jones believes Wolves can’t justify paying Costa’s wages if he is just going to be a “glorified cheerleader.”

What has Jones said about Wolves and Costa?

“It would be a big decision to keep him, especially if he's not expected to play a major role in the team.

“I've heard about his impact behind the scenes, and it seems he has been good at times.

“But you can't pay £100,000 per-week for a glorified cheerleader when you haven't got a natural guaranteed goalscorer.”

What next for Wolves and Costa?

At the time of writing, it seems unlikely that Costa will be kept on board beyond the expiry of his contract at Molineux this summer.

With £43m club-record signing Cunha’s transfer set to be confirmed at the end of his loan spell, Lopetegui finds himself with multiple options in the centre-forward department.

20-year-old Fabio Silva will return from his temporary switch to PSV Eindhoven in the summer, with Wanderers having splashed out a then record-breaking £35.6m to secure his signature in September 2020.

Sasa Kalajdzic is expected to return to training next season after the £15m Austrian striker suffered a season-ending knee ligament injury on his debut last September.