It seems there could be major changes in the attacking options of Atletico Madrid before the transfer window closes. Los Rojiblancos have allowed Alvaro Morata to make a return to former club Juventus on a season-long loan that will cost the Bianconeri £9.2million. The reigning Italian giants also have the option of making the deal a permanent one for a fee of £41million.
The sale of Morata to the Italian club is reportedly to make room for Barcelona’s Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez, who reportedly is set to moving to the Spanish capital.
Morata never quite convinced at any club
Alvaro Morata has undoubted quality, yet he seems to have not convinced at any of his clubs. He is big, good in the air and technically gifted. However, maybe he lacks that natural killer instinct of a truly top goalscorer. At 27 years of age, we are still waiting for him to fulfil his supposed potential.
At Atletico, he scored 18 goals in 49 La Liga appearances, which is not a terrible strike rate for most strikers. The fee the Spaniard’s paid Chelsea of £58million means that more was expected of the Spanish international. His most prolific league scoring campaign came back in season 2016/17 when he scored 15 La Liga goals for Real Madrid. The next summer he moved to Chelsea.
Luis Suarez set to arrive in Madrid
According to the BBC, Luis Suarez is set to make the switch to Atletico Madrid on a free transfer. Reportedly, the 33-year-old is set to take a big pay cut to join Diego Simeone’s team, as he considered surplus to requirements by new Blaugrana head coach Ronald Koeman.
Ironically, Suarez looked set to move to Juventus before the Bianconeri signed Morata. However, there were administrative issues that blocked the move, as Suarez was looking to become an Italian citizen, but alleged problems with him taking an Italian language test arose. The problems are allegedly bring investigated by Italian authorities.
Despite his advancing years, Suarez’s ability to put the ball in the back of the net has not disappeared, as last season he scored 16 La Liga goals in 28 appearances. However, he did endure some injury niggles that may well prove to be an issue in the future. The experienced forward will certainly add some bite to the Atletico Madrid attack this season.
Difficult to upset the duopoly
Atletico Madrid have punched above their financial weight for a long time under head coach Diego ‘Cholo’ Simeone. However, they have of course struggled to compete with the two giants of La Liga, Barcelona and Real Madrid.
They attempted to compete with the pair last summer by bringing Portuguese starlet Joao Felix for a club-record £126million. The youngster struggled for his best form, similarly to Morata, ending the season with just six league goals.
The arrival of Suarez could well prove beneficial to Felix, as the forward’s movement and goalscoring instincts are still there for all to see. If he can pick anything up anything from the Uruguayan forward to add to his game, then he will surely become a better player.
Atletico and Simeone will need the pair to click quickly, as although Atletico will not be seen as realistic title challengers by many, Simeone will not allow his team’s standards to slip. Maybe their new-look attack can give the leagues top two a fright this season.
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[geosnippet id=3620]Will Alvaro Morata will be a success on his return to Juventus?
