Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata has expressed his desire to join Atletico Madrid permanently and criticised Maurizio Sarri for his managerial methods.
The Spaniard moved to Stamford Bridge from Real Madrid in 2017 and made a bright start to life in the Premier League, but his relationship with the club and its fans quickly turned sour.
The 26-year-old star only managed to score 16 goals in the top flight over the course of one-and-a-half seasons, drawing widespread criticism from experts for his lack of composure in front goal.
Morata was shipped off on loan to Atletico in January and he hit six goals in 15 La Liga appearances to help Diego Simeone’s side finish runners up in the final table, but he is now due back at Chelsea.
The Spain international has now revealed his desire to secure a permanent transfer, while also slamming Sarri for broken promises in the first half of the 2018-19 campaign.
“I didn’t quite feel loved or appreciated by the club or the fans,” Morata told Goal. “I started very well at Chelsea, but an injury, in the end, leaves you a bit stuck.
“I had a very bad time in London. In the end, I was training alone.
“I talked to Maurizio Sarri and he told me some things that I knew were not going to be as he had said.
“I was very nervous. My wife was in shock with me.
“I want to stay at Atletico but, contractually, Chelsea can call me back.
“We will see what happens in the negotiations between them, but the two clubs already know what I want.
“I only ask, please, as I said to Atletico, do everything possible to do it as soon as possible. Because I just want to be here.”
The Blues are facing a transfer ban after breaching rules regarding signing minors from foreign clubs, which may prevent them from bringing in any new players for two windows.
Gonzalo Higuain and Olivier Giroud are now the only two strikers at Stamford Bridge, but the latter is set to return to Juventus after a six-month loan spell in England.
Chelsea can, however, recall Tammy Abraham from Aston Villa, who enjoyed a superb campaign in the Championship last season, helping the team gain promotion to the Premier League via the playoffs.
Morata’s latest comments just confirm he didn’t have the right mentality to succeed in London and even in their current situation, the Blues are better off without a player who clearly prefers life in his homeland.
