Chelsea’s latest win against Manchester City highlighted the fact that Alvaro Morata’s days at Stamford Bridge may be numbered.
The Spaniard was left out of Maurizio Sarri’s final squad to face the Premier League champions on Saturday evening, with Olivier Giroud grabbing a spot on the bench ahead of him.
Sarri opted to used Eden Hazard as a false nine against City, which ultimately proved to be a masterstroke as his team ran out 2-0 winners, thanks to goals from N’Golo Kante and David Luiz.
However, the Italian manger’s final decision to leave out Morata spoke volumes about how much faith he has in the Spaniard, who continues to struggle despite being given ample first-team opportunities at the start of the season.
The 26-year-old moved to Stamford Bridge from the Santiago Bernabeu back in 2017 for a huge £70million fee – as per The Independent – which reflected his formidable goal-scoring record at Real Madrid (despite the fact he largely played second fiddle to Karim Benzema upfront).
Morata scored 20 goals in 43 appearances for Los Blancos during his second spell at the club between 2014 and 2016 – having initially risen through the club’s ranks at youth level – earning himself a sterling reputation as an expert poacher capable of changing the tide in matches as an impact substitute.