Surely Marcel Brands can’t sign off on Everton signing Diego Costa

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Everton have been linked with a move for Diego Costa.

The departure of Sandro last week reminded Everton of a big problem they have.

The Spanish attacker, who has joined Real Vallodolid on loan, was one of the many highly-paid flops signed by the Toffees’ former Director of Football Steve Walsh.

And the fact that Sandro remains an Everton player exemplifies what Walsh’s successor, Marcel Brands, said last June.

He said: “You have to be careful because if you make a new signing – because of the salaries in England – then it’s difficult if the player is not successful then what do you do? In most countries they cannot make the wages they get here in the Premier League.”

Brands is tasked with the difficult job of lowering a wage bill that was propped up by Walsh and, with that in mind, speculation about a move for Diego Costa is probably no more than paper talk.

According to The Daily Mail, Everton owner Farhad Moshiri has ‘ordered’ a move for the Atletico Madrid hitman who, according to Total Sportek, is earning £160,000 in the Spanish capital.

Bear in mind he turns 31 in October and would sign a minimum three-year contract. That’s a £23 million commitment in salary, not including the fee it would cost to take Costa – who fetched £59 million in 2018 – to Goodison Park.

If Brands was on board, he would be green-lighting the same sort of transfer that he has subtly criticised Walsh for making and therefore the Dutchman almost certainly wouldn’t let it happen.

Granted, Costa, who scored 52 goals in 89 Premier League games for Chelsea, is much more proven in England than, say, Cenk Tosun, and therefore it’s a safer bet, but there’s still a huge element of risk when you consider the Spain striker’s personality.

Plus, there’s virtually no re-sale value for Everton. Bernard, at 26, is the oldest outfield player that Brands has signed since moving to Merseyside last summer, which says a lot about what sort of player the former PSV director is going for.

Costa would be brilliant for the Toffees, but only in the short term. Brands, unlike Walsh, is looking at the long term and signing the Atletico hitman doesn’t make sense on a football or financial level.