Alvaro Morata’s bright start had Chelsea up and running in the early part of the season. However, as the season progressed, Morata showed signs of fatigue and having already played more minutes this season than any other previous campaign, Chelsea will now have to be careful with their handling of the Spanish striker.
His backup option, Michy Batshuayi, despite scoring 12 goals this season, has not shown the consistency Antonio Conte demands and the Italian’s decision to rebuff the striker for any crucial clash and opting to use Hazard instead exposed Chelsea’s lack of options up front while in crisis. Chelsea are already 15 points off the pace in the title race and have to buckle down from here onwards if they want to finish in a Champions League spot come May.
After the FA Cup match against Newcastle United, Conte has openly spoken out about his need to add more firepower. The Italian, though, suggested that the decision rests with the player and he would in no way want to see the young Belgian stay back at the club without his choice.
The 24-year-old Belgian striker was brought in from Marseille in 2016. He arrived from the French club with a decent reputation as a talented hitman who had scored 23 goals in 50 games for the club in the 2015-16 season. However, ever since his arrival to Chelsea, he has had to play as a backup option; first to Diego Costa and now to Alvaro Morata. It now remains to be seen whether the Belgian stays or leaves come January 31st.
It now seems Batshuayi is being offered a new escape but the player is not really keen on it. Chelsea has been a long-term admirer of Fernando Llorente with the Blues failing to land the striker back last summer. Llorente shone with Swansea City before moving to Tottenham Hotspur last summer. The Blues now want to complete a swap deal for Llorente and Batshuayi on a loan deal.
However, he has been very much a backup striker at the club owing to a certain Harry Kane. The Englishman finished 2017 as the highest scorer in European football outscoring the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Kane’s angelic form has seen Llorente subdued to a bench role in almost every match.
On one side, Llorente’s lack of action will make it easy for Chelsea to persuade him to come to West London but the flip side of this deal would be to convince Batshuayi to go to North London. Batshuayi, it is believed is not keen on a move to Tottenham as he does not want to go from being Morata’s number two to Kane’s. Instead the 24-year-old Belgian wants to find himself a club where he can be the main striker to boost his chances of a World Cup berth. Tough 24 hours ahead for Chelsea but it is their own doing.
