Barcelona are closing in on a deal to sign Alvaro Morata from Atletico Madrid (his parent club) & Juventus (his current club where he plays on loan) with the Old Lady refusing to pay the redemption fee for the Spaniard. With Juventus (are now targeting Gianluca Scamacca) bulking at the 40 million Euros buy clause, Barcelona have swooped in with money Joan Laporta seems to be pulling out of thin air. After the signing of Ferran Torres, Xavi is pushing for Morata next as the club continues it’s post-Lionel Messi rebuild.
Morata joined the Turin club in the 2020/2021 season and scored 11 league goals in 32 appearances. He missed 15 big chances. This season, the 29-year-old has scored 5 in 18 league appearances and he has missed 5 big chances. In his two seasons at Atletico Madrid, he scored 6 league goals in the second half of the 18/19 season missing 9 big chances before netting 12 in 34 appearances in the next season while missing 18 big chances. With his national team, he has scored 23 goals and assisted 6 in 50 appearances for La Roja.
For all of Morata’s talents, he is still incredibly wasteful in front of goal. He is not prolific enough to lead a world-class team to titles and he is not good enough in other areas of the game to make of for it. He has the speed, physical strength, and movement, but lacks the finishing and psyche to put him in the upper echelons of strikers. However, Alvaro Morata has played for Juventus, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, and Chelsea under some of football’s finest coaches. Maybe there is something there. Can this be the move that unearths the best version of him? Xavi seems to think so as word is that he is pushing for the deal.
The profile of players that Barca are targeting is impressive. With so many ball-huggers, they’re looking for players that will pierce that last line to be on the end of their dangerous passing game. Ferran Torres enjoys attacking space as much as dribbling with the ball. Morata also has some of the best final third movement in the game. However, Morata is not particularly prolific and a downgrade from the Erling Haaland deal they were targeting
