Alvaro Morata is beginning to fit the Chelsea philosophy, insists Blues manager Antonio Conte
- Alvaro Morata scored and assisted in his first two Premier League home games
- Morata joined Chelsea from Real Madrid for £70.6million earlier this summer
- Antonio Conte said strikers can take time to adapt to his philosophy at Chelsea
- Chelsea want to offload Diego Costa but Atletico Madrid remain far off a deal
Antonio Conte believes Alvaro Morata is well on the road to becoming the perfect striker for his Chelsea ‘philosophy’ after ditching Diego Costa.
Morata has hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge, becoming the first player to score and assist in his first two Premier League home games.
And Conte believes he is moulding the 24-year-old into the ideal centre forward for the way he wants his team to look.
Alvaro Morata is the first player to score and assist in his first two Premier League home games
The Italian was never quite happy with the characteristics of predecessor Costa, who is still AWOL in Brazil, and wanted to sign Morata over a year ago before Real Madrid sold up for £70.6million this summer.
‘When you arrive at a new club and you are a striker, to score is very important,’ Conte said of the former Juventus forward. ‘It’s not easy for a striker, and midfielders, to arrive and adapt very quickly to our philosophy.
‘It is even more so for the strikers, who I need to stay in position as a point of reference. To adapt to our style is not easy and you need time.
Antonio Conte said he needs his strikers to stay in the correct position as a 'point of reference'
‘I’m pleased for him, (Antonio) Rudiger and (Tiemoue) Bakayoko and (Andreas) Christensen: new signings, young players. We are trying to build and improve this base.’
As well as chasing new signings before the transfer window closes on Thursday, Chelsea also need to offload Costa.
Atletico Madrid, the striker’s preferred destination, are not yet close to agreeing a deal but there is a sense an agreement is getting closer. There are no other serious options that Costa would consider have emerged despite interest from Everton.
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