Wolverhampton Wanderers transfer target Diego Costa is "absolutely unbelievable" but there are concerns about his potential salat and and his general attitude.

Howey has much love for Costa

Those were the words of the former Newcastle and Manchester City defender Steve Howey, who was speaking on the back of the Black Country club's links with the former Chelsea striker.

Costa was recently released by Atletico Madrid by mutual consent and was earning a salary of £265k-per-week, according to Salary Sport. This is 165% more than Wolves' top-earner Joao Moutinho takes home, as Spotrac believe his £100k-per-week wages tops the books.

Despite this, the former Spain international has scored a total of 181 goals with eight different clubs - 58 of those were at Chelsea in what was a memorable spell due to his aggressive style of play and no-nonsense character.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern about Costa potentially retiring to the Premier League, Howey was full of praise for Costa but he admitted that he did have his own anxieties about the player.

“I think most managers would want him," he said. "I think the difficult thing is trying to contain him because he has got that flip switch, and then you’re wasting your time, so you need a strong manager. He is a player to lead the line and take responsibility and to ruffle feathers, he’s absolutely unbelievable. He’s perfect for any club really, who wouldn’t want him?

“(However) there are two concerns. First of all, the money and, of course, his temperament, and I think that worries managers. Can you afford to take a chance on somebody that, on his day, is excellent, but (you’re unsure) about what he’s going to be like in training, is he going to be a nightmare off the field?”

“The vast majority of managers would take him in a heartbeat, but you’ve got to weigh up all the different issues that you have with him.”

Transfer Tavern Verdict

If Wolves captured Costa, it would send a huge statement to the teams around them that Nuno's side are not here to make up the numbers.

With the player having a close relationship  with super agent Jorge Mendes, the man behind plenty of Wolves transfers in the past, it might play into Wolves' hands, but his huge salary may be a step too far for them to get a deal done.

Time will tell whether Wolves will make the move for the two-time Premier League winner, as their search for a replacement for the injured Raul Jimenez continues.

In other news, Ex-referee Mark Halsey flags up incident that Wolves were 'unlucky' to lose out on.