Three Reasons Why Selling The Belgian Superstar To Buy This La Liga Striker Makes No Sense For Chelsea

It is no secret that Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is a huge admirer of Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata. The Italian took the Madrid academy product to Juventus during his days at the helm at the Old Lady and turned him into a fine young striker under his tutelage. And upon becoming the manager at Chelsea, Conte’s first piece of business was to go chasing after Morata in the summer transfer window, only to fail, as the Spaniard ended up returning to his former club Real Madrid.

However, things haven’t gone as per the script for Morata post his return to the Spanish capital. He has struggled to break into the playing XI on a regular basis and has had to play second fiddle to Karim Benzema, who remains the undisputed first-choice striker. And Conte is looking to capitalize on Morata’s situation and make another attempt at bringing him to the Stamford Bridge.

But, it may not prove to be easy to pry away the forward from the hands of the Los Blancos, who have no intention of selling the forward whatsoever. However, according to recent reports, Madrid are willing to negotiate a deal, if Chelsea includes their goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois as part of the negotiations for Morata, to which, surprisingly, Conte seems open to.

Here we give you three reasons, why any such deal involving the sale of Courtois to Madrid to bring Morata does not make any sense and may prove to be disastrous for the Premier League leaders:

Morata’s Stuttering Form

The Spaniard has featured 26 times for the current Champions League holders, across all competitions. However, 15 of these 26 appearances have come from the bench.

Morata has appeared in 15 La Liga games so far this season and has scored only 5 times along with 3 assists, with his last goal for the club coming in the early parts of December against Deportivo La Coruna. While an injury to his Achilles tendon has hampered his form, Morata is not scoring enough for Madrid and as a result of his lack of consistency, he has only seen 8 minutes of action in their last three Liga fixtures.

Courtois’ Importance to Chelsea

On the other hand, Thibaut Courtois has been an absolute wall in the goal for Chelsea under Conte this term and has played a key role in their dominance in the English top-flight.

The 24-year old has featured in all the 22 league fixtures for the Blues this term and has held his own in the goal, keeping 13 clean sheets, the highest in the Premier League. The Belgian has conceded only 15 goals so far. Among the keepers who have played more than 15 times this season in the Premier League, only Hugo Lloris has conceded fewer goals. Courtois has been an extremely vital presence for Chelsea and losing him would have a bad impact.

The Flawed Logic of the Deal

There is no question that Morata is a very promising striker and has a bright future ahead of him. But if he moves to London, the Spaniard will no doubt be the second choice behind compatriot and Chelsea’s leading goalscorer Diego Costa. Courtois, on the other hand, is a first-choice keeper and is regarded as one of the best in the business and he has proved why, with his excellent displays this season.

Selling your first-choice goalkeeper, who is at the top of his game currently, to bring in a striker who will only be your second option behind Costa, does not make any sense whatsoever and would be an absolutely ludicrous piece of business if pursued by Conte and Chelsea.