Alvaro Morata has had the perfect start to his Chelsea career. He has scored 8 goals and set up 2 more for the Blues. Chelsea’s record signing from Real Madrid has hit the ground running and has so far proved himself to be an able replacement for Diego Costa.
Morata has been in red-hot form for club and country and has already racked up 10 goals this season. This included a hat-trick against Stoke City in the Premier League followed by commanding displays in Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid and a 1-0 win over Manchester United, bagging a goal each in both appearances in the process.
Morata hit an unfortunate snag against Manchester City when he limped off in the 35th minute, clutching his left hamstring. Conte’s decision to snub Michy Batshuayi, who is a direct replacement for Morata and introduce Willian instead, showed his lack of faith in Chelsea’s back-up striker.
Batshuayi, despite scoring 7 goals this season, has not shown the consistency Conte demands and the Italian’s decision to rebuff the striker for the City match exposed Chelsea’s lack of options up front. Chelsea are already 9 points off the pace in the title race and have to buckle down from here onwards if they want to pose any kind of title threat to the Manchester duo.
With so many important matches coming up, Chelsea needs to hit the ground running and Conte needs a backup for Morata especially with the Blues still alive in all four competitions. Chelsea’s only other option is young Tammy Abraham who is currently on loan at Swansea City.
Chelsea’s lack of options up front coupled with Conte’s lack of willingness to bank on Batshuyai for the big matches clearly shows their dependency on the 24-year old Spanish forward and Conte might need to reassess the Abraham situation.
As for the striker himself, Abraham has been very clear that he dreams of a possible return to Stamford Bridge as a first-team player. His form this season has certainly lived up to those dreams. The English forward recently gained two senior team appearances for the national team after impressing at Swansea.
He has scored four goals for the struggling South Wales club and has demonstrated excellent mental and physical tenacity in leading the line for a team in the Premier League.
Abraham, who was on loan at Bristol City last season, will be hoping that he can sustain his current streak. If the young Englishman can end the season well, Conte will be compelled with good reason to induct him into the first team ahead of Batshuayi.
Such a decision would not only see Chelsea convert a rare youth team product into a first-team player but also save Conte millions from buying another player in the already inflated market.
