Last season was not a particularly positive one for Chelsea. A dismal run towards the end of the campaign saw them finish 10th in the Premier League table, missing out on European football as a result.
In particular, the Blues often looked leaky at the back. Conceding 52 goals over the course of 38 games, they let in more than the likes of Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest in the previous season.
First-choice goalkeeper Robert Sanchez received a glut of a criticism for his performances – as such, Chelsea are looking to bolster their options between the sticks in the summer transfer window.
One name that has been identified is Portugal and Porto ‘keeper Diogo Costa. According to a report from the Daily Mirror, the Blues and Xabi Alonso are ‘considering’ a move for the player in the coming weeks.
They aren’t without competition, though. Champions League winners PSG are also thought to be in the mix – should they submit an official bid, Chelsea would struggle to compete with the Parisian giants, both in terms of current stature and finances.
Furthemore, both Manchester United and Manchester City have a retrospective interest in the Portuguese international. Last year, City looked poised to bring Costa on board [via Foot Mercato], but would instead sign James Trafford and Gianluigi Donnarumma.
While Chelsea’s interest is evident, Costa will not come cheap. Porto value him at around £50 million – if he has a successful World Cup, this asking price could rise even higher.
Diogo Costa Primeira Liga 2025/26 stats
Games Conceded Clean Sheets Yellow Cards Red Cards
Diogo Costa 33 15 21 3 0
Last season, Diogo Costa was borderline unbeatable. With just 15 goals conceded over the course of the entire season, keeping an astonshing 21 clean sheets along the way, he played a pivotal role in Porto’s title winning campaign in Primeira Liga.
He wasn’t simply buoyed by a rock-solid backline, either. He racked up an impressive save percentage of 80.6% – this was his highest save percentage over the course of a league season to date. Facing 72 shots on target, as we can see in the table above, only 15 of them found their way beyond him.
He was somewhat less impressive in the Europa League, though. He let in ten goals in 12 games, keeping three clean sheets – these aren’t terrible stats by any means, but they are not quite on the level of his outstanding Primeira Liga numbers.
Is Diogo Costa the best goalkeeper in the world?
Right now, it’s easy to see why so many audiences believe that Diogo Costa is peerless in terms of world goalkeepers right now. There aren’t many other top-class ‘keepers in the world, either – the aforementioned Donnarumma hasn’t been at his best recently, while Ederson, Alisson and Thibault Courtois are reaching the ends of their respective careers.
However, we would be remiss to not mention David Raya. The Arsenal shot-stopper was borderline preternatural last season. playing a major role in returning the Gunners to the top of the Premier League pile.
As such, our answer is no, Diogo Costa is not the best goalkeeper in the world – but he is most likely in a very solid second place behind the Spaniard.