Gary Cahill admits Diego Costa will be missed by Chelsea not just because of his goalscoring return but also because of the character he brings to the Stamford Bridge dressing room.
Costa is expected to leave Chelsea this summer after coach Antonio Conte revealed the striker was told back in January he could leave the club.
Despite the Spain international claiming he only found out he would not form part of Conte's plans via text this summer, Costa has been told to stay away from Chelsea to try and sort out a move away from the club.
With Atletico Madrid and AC Milan being linked with a transfer for the 28-year-old, Cahill has conceded the striker will prove a big loss for Chelsea despite the arrival of Alvaro Morata as his replacement because of his "animated character" and fine form on the pitch.
"As a player, he will be missed," Cahill told talkSPORT at the launch of the new Premier League season.
"Diego Costa is Diego Costa. He scores goals. He is an animated character and he is a big personality.
"He will be a big miss. We have obviously added to the squad with Alvaro [Morata] and that is a great addition to the squad, but you are always to going miss big players."
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Morata is one of four players Chelsea have signed this summer, although the loss of many more either on permanent deals or on loan moves means Conte's squad consists of just 20 first-team players excluding Costa.
Standard Sport understands Conte is eyeing up four new players before the close of the transfer window and, when asked if he expected new arrivals at Chelsea this summer, Cahill added: "Possibly. You would have thought so. There is no getting away from the fact if you look at the back of the programme at the weekend [the squad is small].
"We have certainly got the quality – you have seen that last season - but we have to keep players fit because at the minute our squad isn’t as big as some of the other squads."
