Chelsea: Alvaro Morata risk continues to mount

Spain dismantled Turkey and with it, Alvaro Morata scored two goals that should resonate in Chelsea’s heart. But his risk is only growing.

The striker transfer market in the Premier League is so grossly inflated that middle of the pack guys are going for record fees. Well, at least that’s what they tell us they are going for, no one has paid the price as of yet.

Think of it this way, in a world where Raheem Sterling is worth £50m, what is everyone else worth? The simplest answer is ‘more’ but that doesn’t bode well for anyone that wants Alvaro Morata. And Chelsea do.

Chelsea is looking to improve their striking options with Diego Costa a volatile thing and Loic Remy on the outs. There is also Falcao, but is there ever really Falcao?

Chelsea therefore face the same predicament as many other teams in England and beyond: How much are they willing to pay for unproven talent? That is a scary question to ask when considering the bubbling value of Alvaro Morata.

Morata spent the year at Juventus, making £45,000 a week after bonuses. He only started 16 Serie A matches and totaled under 1500 minutes. Now 23, the lad has shown how much potential he has but he has yet to make anything solid out of it.

That is what makes his reported wage demands so scary. Not only is he supposedly going to cost £60m in transfer fees alone, but he reportedly wants £110,000 in weekly wages. That is just below what Thibaut Courtouis makes and it would make Morata the fifth highest paid player on the Blues.

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It may not seem like much, but that price would not jive if there were an abundance of strikers. Morata’s agent knows what a ripe-for-the-picking luxury he has and he is going to ensure that he gets as much money and as much playing time as he wants. Because who else are they going to get?

To make matters even riskier, Morata has gone off and scored a brace for Spain against Turkey. This will undoubtedly grow his interest and what he’s worth and, given a lengthy run in a tournament that Spain is looking to control, there could be many more price-growing events in the near future.

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri was onto something when he made his points about Morata needing to stay at Juventus. He said that the Spaniard had tremendous ability but until he learned to grow into his talents, he would continue to bounce around and get pushed to the side. Patience is the key.

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Granted, it’s not all Morata’s fault. A lot of if falls on Real Madrid and their want to capitalize. But Chelsea need to understand the risk that is involved with Morata. They would not be getting a bonafide striker. They would be getting a project. And while Chelsea still have Diego Costa leading the line, a second option is always necessary with a live-wire like him.

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