Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
Time for another guest article now as Alex Norwood earns a debut writing cap. He will now tell us why Alvaro Morata is the perfect fit for Chelsea. Take it away Alex.
When rumors surfaced that Antonio Conte informed Diego Costa that his services were no longer needed at the club, Chelsea had to sign another striker, fast. It was then that the club manager set his eyes on Romelu Lukaku as his first pick to replace Costa. However, Manchester United beat him to that bid and Lukaku chose United. Antonio Conte had a second option and that was Alvaro Morata, a former Juventus and Real Madrid striker. It would turn out that Morata would be a better fit as compared to Lukaku due to the following reasons:
He is young
Although both Lukaku and Morata are of the same age, 24 years, Chelsea still has an advantage when you compare with the ageing Costa. It is believed that most successful star players had their break to stardom at this age. For example players such as Wayne Rooney when he was acquired from Everton by Man United, he was about that age. Previously, he did not perform as well as he is currently and Chelsea made a great deal for Morata due to his current age.
He is at the peak of his career
Morata was a star player at Juventus and then Real Madrid, which are regarded as top teams in the football league. In the last season, Juventus went on to the finals of the prestigious Champions League only to be knocked out by Real Madrid. Playing for big clubs like Juventus and Real Madrid means that he is a top player and thus at the peak of his career coming into Chelsea. It has been a long time coming for the Chelsea club manager to sign the striker. For almost half a decade, he has been eluding Antonio Conte, but with this signing, he can now focus on the next season as a Chelsea man.
Similar style of play to that in Chelsea
When you compare him with Lukaku, Conte would have a hard time making the latter fit in his squad. Morata is used to their style of play and formation. This is because Juventus had a similar formation and style of play which means that Morata will get used to it in no time. New players at a club may take some time to get used to the culture and style of play of their new team. However, Morata possesses similar forward plays as strikers Pedro and Eden Hazard.
A perfect replacement for Diego Costa
Diego Costa was on his way out even when the Morata deal was not yet concluded. This would have been a big blow if the club failed to sign Morata. Luckily, the deal is done and the Spanish international is all set to fill in the gap left by Diego Costa. Although he lost the penalty against Arsenal and cost his team the Community Shield, it was the beginning of a great career at Chelsea. It served as a consolation prize to sign Morata after the deal for Lukaku failed to materialize since he was poached for £75 by Man United. It later turned out to be a good thing for the club.
Thanks Alex once again for your guest article, I look forward to your next offering.
if you would like to get involved then feel free to send your work over to realfootballmanwordpress@gmail.com and I’ll make sure it has a home here at Real Football Man HQ.
