Wolves look no closer to appointing a new manager after QPR boss Michael Beale became the latest man to turn the Old Gold down, but whoever does eventually arrive at Molineux must consider benching Diego Costa.

David Ornstein has suggested that the 42-year-old was Wolves' number-one choice to take over from Bruno Lage after he was sacked earlier this month.

The Old Gold sit in 18th place in the Premier League after Tuesday's 2-1 defeat against Crystal Palace and desperately need a new boss as they look to stave off relegation this season.

Beale would have arrived with very little first-team management experience, having only taken over as QPR manager during the summer with his previous roles all being as an assistant, with Sao Paulo, Rangers and Aston Villa.

However, his work with the Hoops has been extremely impressive thus far and perhaps fittingly, the Loftus Road outfit went top of the Championship following a 3-0 win over Cardiff City on Wednesday night. Perhaps it was that result which decided Beale's future, with the 42-year-old reportedly turning down Wolves' approach.

This leaves Wolves in a precarious situation ahead of this weekend's game against Leicester City, as Steve Davis could be set for a fourth game in charge, in what has been a slightly shambolic period for the Old Gold as they look for a new leader.

However, there is one thing that should be for certain, and that is that Costa should be dropped by whoever does take over, as the 34-year-old has been hugely disappointing since signing, which suggests that it was another mistake by Lage to bring him in.

The Spain international was signed by Lage in what was a desperate attempt to bring in attacking reinforcements following the injuries suffered by Raul Jimenez and new signing Sasa Kaladjzic.

The former Chelsea man is clearly no longer the player he once was and has shown little to suggest that he will be the answer to Wolves' goalscoring woes, which have seen them manage just five strikes in the top flight so far this term.

Costa's four appearances in the Premier League so far have seen him average a shocking 6.1/10 rating from WhoScored - the worst of any player to start at least one game.

The 34-year-old has averaged just 7.8 passes per game in his four outings thus far, which emphasises that he isn't involved at all, while his average of one shot per match shows that he no longer possesses that clinical edge in front of goal which he showed in spells at Chelsea and Atletico Madrid, where he scored a combined 142 goals.

This was clear to see on Tuesday night when Costa was fed beautifully by Daniel Podence inside the area, only for him to hesitate and fail to get a shot away, which proved crucial as Wolves ended up losing at Selhurst Park.

While Costa has been praised as "amazing" by Ruben Neves for his influence since joining and dubbed an “animal” for his previous exploits in England by Jose Mourinho, he is yet to show that on the pitch this campaign.

As a result, the new manager will have to make a tough decision for the benefit of the team by dropping the £50k-per-week veteran.