Alvaro Morata to Chelsea: Can he really replace Diego Costa?

Chelsea are bringing in Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid to replace Diego Costa but is he up to the job? Adam Bate assesses Morata's record.

Finally, Chelsea have their replacement. Diego Costa has spearheaded each of Chelsea's last two Premier League title triumphs, but now the Blues have turned to someone else to lead their line. That man is Alvaro Morata, the £68m signing from Real Madrid. The question that now needs answering is whether or not the Spaniard can cope with the challenges ahead.Concerns are understandable. Costa scored 20 goals in both of those league wins. Morata is yet to find the net more than 15 times in a top-flight season. It was only last time out that he reached double figures for the first time in his career. Naturally, this raises doubts about more than just the fee. Morata must embrace the responsibility of being the main man.Clearly, he has pedigree. Morata has shown that at Real Madrid and Juventus. Moreover, there are clues there in the numbers that suggest he is capable of delivering more if given the opportunity. Karim Benzema blocked his path at the Bernabeu but when Morata was turned to, he took his chance to shine more often than not.
Indeed, the 24-year-old striker boasted the best minutes-per-goal record of any Real Madrid player in La Liga last season. His 15 goals came at a rate of one every 89 minutes. Only Barcelona's Lionel Messi could better that. If this sort of output could be replicated when given greater game time then Chelsea would be getting a world-class performer.

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