Alvaro Morata had a dream start to his Chelsea career after scoring 8 goals and setting up 2 more for the club in his first few matches. Chelsea’s record signing from Real Madrid had hit the ground running and proved himself to be an able replacement for Diego Costa. Morata’s red-hot form last year for both club and country helped him rack up 10 goals in the early part of the season. This included a weekend hat-trick against Stoke City in the Premier League followed up by a commanding display in Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid.
However, the Spaniard hit an unfortunate snag in the middle against Manchester City when he limped off in the 35th minute clutching his left hamstring. Antonio 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 10 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, while in crisis. Chelsea is already 15 points off the pace in the title race and has to buckle down from here onwards if they want to finish in a Champions League spot. With so many important matches coming up, the Stamford Bridge outfit needs to hit the ground running and Conte needs an alternative for Morata especially with the Blues still alive in three competitions.
Resultantly, Chelsea’s hunt for a striker this January has now seen them get linked with West Brom forward Salomon Rondon. The winter window has allowed Chelsea to redeem their mistakes from the summer when they failed to add adequate numbers to their squad.
With the Blues desperate to add another striker, reports have seen them get linked with some truly bizarre rumours. West Ham United’s Andy Carroll, Stoke City’s Peter Crouch and AS Roma’s Edin Dzeko have all been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge. The latest frontman to join the rumour mill is Rondon. It is being reported that the Blues are seeking to negotiate a deal for the 28-year old.
With Chelsea’s pursuit of Edin Dzeko on the verge of a collapse, Salomon Rondon of West Bromwich Albion has been identified as a potential target. The Venezuelan hitman is considered an essential member of the West Brom squad. The 28-year old has a hard-hitting style of play and at 6”2, he is very much a classic number nine. He has a towering presence in the box and is physically one of the stronger players in the league. The striker has 18 months left on his current contract and would cost the Blues much lesser than Dzeko. With Conte crying out for a target-man at Chelsea, he could tailor a side with Rondon playing as a number nine upfront.
