Atletico Madrid have emerged as the latest suitors for Chelsea’s misfiring Alvaro Morata who has also been left out of the final 23-man Spain squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The 25-year-old has struck out in his debut season with the Blues and might be offloaded under the Antonio Conte or Maurizio Sarri management.
Atletico Madrid, on the other hand, are desperate for an Antoine Griezmann replacement since the Frenchman’s engagement in transfer speculations with Barcelona and Manchester United. The striker has been reported to have a £90m release clause which could be triggered by either party with ease.
Griezmann is one of the most prolific strikers in European football and is ambitious towards winning major honours. He has missed out on two UEFA Champions League finals and was nominated for the FIFA Best Player and Ballon d’Or 2 years back. The time is now for him to take the next step in his footballing career with a team who has a major presence in the European stage.
Chelsea have been blown out of the top-4 this previous season after an average performance in the league. Conte has delivered an FA Cup in the recent weeks but that might have a meagre impact on his job security.
The West London side finished 5th in the league standings the strike force has been a major part of the ongoing problem. While Conte’s defensive setup has been successful for most of the campaign, Diego Costa’s vacant role has been hard to fill up top.
Morata has failed to perform under Conte which although can be attributed to the injury snag he suffered in September. The Spaniard never recovered from the unwelcomed break and ever since has been a disappointment for the fans.
Not the best outlook to have when you cost the club £58m. The situation is further aggravating and confusing since the striker did start off his debut season in blistering form. He struck 8 times in the opening 3 months and was being touted as the better option than Romelu Lukaku (who snubbed a move to Manchester United).
On his return to the starting lineup, he has been missing clear chances and Conte was forced to field Eden Hazard in the number nine role rather than risking another mishit. The Italian was even convinced into finding a second option in Olivier Giroud from the January transfer window.
In the midst of it all, Atletico seems like an unrealistic destination for Morata. The La Liga side already has the formidable Diego Costa on strike and has the backup in Kevin Gameiro.
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Morata’s talents are in no shape or form similar to that of Greizmann, who can appear from the flanks and deeper positions.
