Chelsea: Ross Barkley makes more sense up top than Alvaro Morata

Chelsea has reportedly threatened Atletico Madrid with an Alvaro Morata recall. The Blues would be better off throwing Ross Barkley up top than Morata.

Alvaro Morata got a terrible reputation at Chelsea. He started hot and fans loved him. Then he got injured and was not able to find that early form. At some point, it became less about being fair to Morata and more about simply slating him. One only needs to look at his last Chelsea game for that. He scored a brace, but afterwards the only thing anyone wanted to talk about was the miss he had from point blank range.

But despite his unfair treatment, the last thing Chelsea should do is try to bring him back. He does not want to come back and most fans do not want him back. The Blues’ recent ultimatum to Atletico Madrid is ridiculous on all levels.

One of two things will result: Atletico buy him permanently now (as the player wants) or Chelsea is stuck with a player who does not want to be at the club. And if the latter is a way to strengthen the strike corps during the ban, then Chelsea is better off putting Ross Barkley up top than trying to rekindle a very broken and dead relationship with Morata.

Yes this is tongue in cheek, in part because it would be crazy for Chelsea to try to bring Morata back and use him when he wants to be literally anywhere else. But it is also completely serious as Barkley would be a more motivated, and perhaps better, option up top if Chelsea needed the body.

This is not even a new idea. Barkley has the build of a striker, has good offensive movement, and (as seen with England), he can create chances for himself and others quite easily in the final third. Putting him up top relieves him of having to track back but also allows him to press aggressively without fear of the space conceded behind him.

Compare all of that to Morata’s final few Chelsea appearances when he just wanted out. Then amplifying that because it would only be worse if he was forced back into a situation he wanted out of.

More seriously, just because Barkley would be a better option up top than Morata does not mean he should be. The play next season should very much be Olivier Giroud, Tammy Abraham, and Michy Batshuayi fighting over starts. If one decides they do not want that fight, then Barkley can be the tertiary choice to whichever two are up for the fight.

Meanwhile, Morata is better off in Madrid where he is wanted and valued. If Atletico Madrid do not want to buy him outright now, that is fine because Chelsea pushed for the 18 month loan option. If they do not want to keep him further than that, then the Blues can work to find somewhere else for him.

But returning to Chelsea is no longer an option for Morata. The Blues would be foolish to try to fix that relationship after the bridges have been burnt. When Barkley is a better option for striker, there is no longer a reason to try to make a Morata return a thing.