PREMIER LEAGUE
Morata's angry with Chelsea and could be key to his departure
Gianfranco Zola spoke about Morata and the criticism upset Morata, who does not feel like Chelsea support him fully which could accelerate his exit.
Álvaro Morata is on the brink of leaving Chelsea in the winter transfer market after a year and a half at the Premier League club. The Spanish international scored nine goals during his 1,498 minutes in blue this season but does not feel like he is fully supported by the club.
The 26-year-old is not shy of offers with Borussia Dortmund, Sevilla, Bayern, Atlético Madrid and PSG all supposedly interested in his services. Chelsea are also lining up his replacement with Gonzalo Higuaín reportedly close to a move to Stamford Bridge.
The potential arrival of the Argentine and the offers for Morata are not the main reason for his possible exit though. The main cause of Morata's uneasy feeling at the club stems from words from assistant coach, Gianfranco Zola, ahead of the Nottingham Forest clash in the FA Cup.
"People expect a lot from the number nine at Chelsea," said Zola. "They expect a lot of goals and good performances. This is normal, he has to get used to it. If he goes to another big club it'll be the same - there is no way you can avoid your responsibilities. It's part of your job and if you can handle that then the better you're going to be."
Morata refused to fully celebrate the goal he did score against the Championship side in an effort to show up Zola.
His first season in London was also a difficult one, which saw him suffer through a mysterious back injury along with a stormy relationship with Antonio Conte. The sacking of the Italian offered a chance to change his fortunes at the club but the arrival of Sarri and Zola's words along with Morata's mixed form have led him to the current predicament with all signs pointing towards an exit.