Dave Edwards shouts out Diego Costa after he helped Wolves to survive

That decision was made after Sasa Kalajdzic sustained a serious knee injury, which would rule him out for the whole season.

Costa arrived at Wolves unfit.

He had not played football for months following his release from Atletico Mineiro.

It was perhaps to be expected, then, that he would not be particularly prolific leading the line for Wolves.

And that proved to be the case. Costa ended up scoring just one goal for the club in 25 appearances.

That came against Brentford in April, which is when Costa really started to have an impact on the field for Wolves.

Julen Lopetegui put his faith in the veteran for most games in the final two months of the season. And the former Chelsea man definitely came through with some really good showings.

His competitive spirit seemed to rub off on his teammates. And in the end, Wolves survived with three games to go.

In his latest column, Edwards has praised Diego Costa for his contributions for Wolves in 2022/23.

He said (Express & Star): “It wasn’t unexpected to see Diego Costa leave too, and he served his purpose this season.

“It took him a while to get going. But he was committed to the club, worked so hard and his performances really helped the club at the back end of the season.

“It was great to have a character like that in the dressing room. He handled himself so well and he was a good fit at the right time.

“But moving forward, where Wolves want to get to, they have to bring in a top quality striker and I expected to see Costa go.

“However, he deserves our thanks for everything he did.”

Diego Costa definitely served a purpose for Wolves – his signing was one of the club’s most important in years

Pound for pound, the Costa deal has to be one of the most important deals in Wolves’ recent history.

He may not have scored many goals.

But he ultimately played a hugely important role in Wolves pulling away from danger.

Some of his performances in April and May for Wolves were very impressive for a 34-year-old. He was always busting a gut for the team, and showing some really good link-up player. He definitely looked much fitter and sharper compared to his first few outings.

And then of course, Costa’s impact on the dressing room was seismic.

You only needed to see some of the Wolves players’ tributes to Costa on social media to know how much they respected him.

There’s no doubt he played an important role in keeping Wolves up. So Edwards is right – he deserves the thanks of Wolves supporters everywhere.