Batshuayi was criticised by Crooks (Picture: Getty)
Batshuayi was criticised by Crooks (Picture: Getty)

Garth Crooks believes Chelsea would be in a much stronger position if they had landed Fernando Llorente this summer and slammed Michy Batshauyi as ‘not ready’ to replace Alvaro Morata.

The former Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United man was desperately impressed with the Belgian striker during Chelsea’s miserable 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace and claimed former Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho made him look ‘ordinary’.

In the absence of regular front man Alvaro Morata, Chelsea looked largely toothless in attack and Batshuayi struggled to make any form of impact.

With Diego Costa falling out of favour, the 24-year-old is the only real backup option for Spain striker Morata, although that was not Antonio Conte’s plan.

The Italian boss wanted to link up with former employee Llorente, but Spurs signed the ex-Juventus striker instead.

Would Llorente make the difference for Chelsea? (Picture: AFP/Getty)
Would Llorente make the difference for Chelsea? (Picture: AFP/Getty)
Conte missed out on the striker (Picture: Getty)
Conte missed out on the striker (Picture: Getty)

And Crooks is convinced Chelsea would be in much better shape if they had pipped Mauricio Pochettino’s side to his signature.

‘Against a Chelsea side desperate to keep in touch with the league leaders, Mamadou Sakho was as solid as ever and made striker Michy Batshuayi look ordinary,’ he told the BBC.

‘Make no mistake, Sakho is arguably the most competitive defender in the league and is just as popular with Palace fans as he was at Anfield.

‘However, I find it inconceivable that Chelsea manager Antonio Conte finds himself with only one player to replace injured forward Alvaro Morata.

‘Batshuayi is simply not ready to lead the line for a team like Chelsea, while Spurs have a man sitting on their bench – Fernando Llorente – who might. Madness.’

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