Chelsea finally ended their search for a new frontman by acquiring Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid for a reported fee of £58m, which could rise to £70m.
After months of speculation linking him with a switch to Manchester United, the 24-year-old instead becomes the Blues’ fourth signing of the summer following the arrival of Willy Caballero, Antonio Rudiger and Tiemoue Bakayoko.
Manager Antonio Conte was quick with the plaudits:
“I think for sure he is good signing for us. Morata is a young player who has a lot of experience. He has played with Real Madrid and Juventus and has a lot of experience for the league and also in the Champions League. Morata for sure is a first-choice [for team selection], a good striker and a player with the right prospects for Chelsea. He is very young, for sure he can improve a lot and I hope to show his value with us.”
The History
A product of the Real Madrid youth academy, Morata was handed his senior debut by Jose Mourinho back in December 2010. That was to be his only league appearance of that season, as he dropped back to the reserves to continue his development.
The forward played a further 36 times over the following three La Liga campaigns, scoring 10 goals, but left to join Juventus in the summer of 2014 after failing to cement a regular role.
Ironically, he was signed for the club by long-term admirer Conte, who then promptly left to manage the Italian national side.
Morata went on to produce 15 goals and 12 assists over his two years in Turin, but once again struggled to cement a spot in the first XI, with 36 of his 63 league appearances off the bench.
Real triggered a buy-back clause in his contract last summer as the striker returned to Madrid in a deal worth 30m Euros. He finished the league season as their second-top scorer, netting 15 times and supplying three assists, but he started on just 14 occasions under Zinedine Zidane, with 12 further outings as a substitute.
On the international stage, Morata has turned out for Spain at every level from U17 upwards, producing 29 goals in 34 appearances. He has notched nine times in 20 outings for the senior side, with his last goal arriving against Colombia in early June.
The Prospects
Having informed Diego Costa that he was no longer part of his plans for 2017/18, Conte looked odds-on to acquire Romelu Lukaku for the Blues’ lone striker role last month.
But the Belgian’s decision to reunite with Mourinho left Chelsea desperate for extra firepower.
Standing six foot two, the physical Morata looks tailor-made as a lone striker for Conte’s tactical approach. Strong in possession and with an ability to hold up the ball and bring team-mates into play, he’s solid in the air – six of his 15 league goals came via headers in 2016/17.
Delving further into last season’s data, Morata fares well when compared with Costa. He was superior for minutes per shot (24.3 to 27.8) and, crucially, also boasted a far better conversion rate, netting 27.2% of his efforts to Costa’s 18%.
In his two seasons with Juventus, Morata was a little less prolific, netting 15.6% and 14.5% of his opportunities.
In spite of his limited pitch-time last term, the new arrival’s average of 88.9 minutes per league goal was far superior to Costa’s 154.5 and bettered only by Harry Kane (87.3) among FPL forwards.
He was also far more dominant in the air, winning 46.9% of headers compared to Costa’s 28.1%. In terms of creativity, Costa had the edge by an average of 73.5 minutes to the new boy’s 78.4.
Morata also affords the Blues a greater mobility up top for Conte’s second season at the helm. The Chelsea manager continues to remain unconvinced by Michy Batshuayi, who once again looks poised to remain a back-up option after being handed a single league start in 2016/17.
Likely to come in around 10.5 in Fantasy Premier League, Morata’s arrival adds yet another premium-priced striker to the mix as the competition for our three-man frontlines intensifies.
But given that Eden Hazard is priced at 10.5 and could also retain spot-kick duties, the Belgian may well remain our go-to option in the Blues’ attack once he’s recovered from an ankle injury around September.
That could be a key factor when comparing Morata with Kane, Lukaku, Lacazette and maybe Jesus – all four of those strikers are expected to be designated penalty-takers in 2017/18. It was a factor that tainted our view of Costa at times and this could also apply to his successor.
Initially, Hazard’s absence allows the likes of Willian and Pedro – at 7.0 and 8.0 respectively – to battle it out for our attentions as a relatively cheap route into Chelsea’s attack for the first few matches. It could also see Morata handed spot-kick duties which, we can hope, he might retain.
Certainly, there’s no doubt that Morata has the potential to make his mark in the Premier League.
Yet with so many alternatives for our Fantasy attacks, and with Hazard’s return another big factor, it remains to be seen whether many will be prepared to take the plunge as Conte’s troops prepare for a testing opening run involving clashes against Spurs, Everton and Arsenal in the first five Gameweeks.
