28 Jul 2018 14:29:40
Few thoughts on Morata. The guy has never been anything like a prolific footballer, he has made over 25 league appearances every season since 2014-15 with the following returns.

2014-15 at Juventus he made 29 league appearances and scored 8 goals.
2015-16 at Juventus he made 34 league appearances and scored 7 goals.
2016-17 at Real Madrid he made 26 league appearances and scored 15 goals.
2017-18 at Chelsea he made 31 league appearances and scored 11 goals.

41 goals in 120 games over the past four seasons! This isn't a player that we should expect to be a prolific scorer of goals, and he certainly isn't a player who you can rely on as your number one striker with a guaranteed 20 goals a season; as you would expect for the amount we spent. He is at times a very tidy footballer who has the capacity to do the amazing but he is far, so very far, away from being a consistent footballer/ striker.

The problem is that there aren't that many strikers out there that are consistent and prolific at the top level. I genuinely struggle to think of a realistic striker target that I would want to see replace Morata in the squad this season, but should we be looking at spending money on a replacement? In 31 league appearances, same as Morata, for Swansea last season Tammy Abraham managed only five goals. I am however convinced that if those appearances would have been for Chelsea, with far superior players around him, then Abraham would have, at the very least, equalled Morata's 11 goals.

If I was Abraham I would have seen this pre-season as an opportunity to prove to the new management that I am as good, if not better, than the clubs record signing striker.

1.) 29 Jul 2018
28 Jul 2018 23:47:51
Even if he did show he was better he’d get shipped out on loan. No way he’s displacing the clubs record signing, board wouldn’t allow that.

2.) 29 Jul 2018
29 Jul 2018 00:43:59
Appearances are also quite misleading. Morata did have a good goals/ minutes ratio before moving to chelsea. The question was whether he’d be able to carry that ratio into starting the majority of games. He had a tumultuous first season with us which was hampered by injury and then Contes very negative tactics. Now I’m not going to say that it he stays he’ll necessarily be the striker we were all expecting but I would expect he’d certainly improve his goal return. If he were to cut out his antics he’d do a lot better.