Alvaro Morata: Why Chelsea Will Benefit From the Forward's Departure

Alvaro Morata completed a £58m move to Atletico Madrid this summer, where he will join the La Liga side on a permanent basis at the end of his loan spell in 2020. 

With a transfer ban imposed on Chelsea, letting one of their two main strikers leave the club may seem questionable. 

But in truth, the Blues have got the better side of the deal.

From a purely financial perspective, the process of selling Morata for roughly the same price as they bought him for in 2017 was a stroke of genius. Clearly aware of the Spaniard's talents, the Blues allowed Morata to go on loan initially, giving him the opportunity to increase his transfer value. And with six goals in 15 appearances for the Rojiblancos, that's just what he did.

He also linked up well with the now-departed Antoine Griezmann and will be expected to build a fruitful relationship with the so-called wonderkid Joao Felix next season.

Were he to have moved on permanently in January of this year, Chelsea would not have got the £58m Atleti paid for him this summer. This piece of business is a testament to the job done by the Blues' technical director, Marina Granovskaia.

The Spaniard's departure will also put a permanent end to the tedious Giroud/Morata debate. In the early months of Maurizio Sarri's tenure at Chelsea, picking between Olivier Giroud and Morata to lead the line seemed to be an arduous task.

Such was the difficulty picking between the two, Sarri would often pick neither. Instead choosing Hazard to lead the line, with Willian and Pedro either side of him.

Hark back to images of Morata's despairing face as he failed yet again to hold the ball up and lay it off to Eden Hazard. Even when the former Real Madrid man did start for Chelsea, he never really seemed to be enjoying himself. 

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The Spaniard's departure will see Giroud take the spot as Chelsea's main striker and he will benefit from not feeling the need to justify his place in the team every time he steps onto the pitch. The Frenchman won't be able to play every game, but therein lies another benefit of Morata's move.

As many have pointed out, Chelsea's transfer ban may be a blessing in disguise, as their promising crop of young players could finally be given a chance. Therefore, following a successful loan spell at Aston Villa last season, Tammy Abraham should have plenty of opportunities to prove his worth in the Premier League.

The young Englishman scored 25 goals in 37 league appearances for the Villans last season and has surely done enough to earn some game time at Stamford Bridge. 

Another forgotten figure who may get a chance at Stamford Bridge is none other than Michy Batshuayi. The Belgian scored five goals in 11 appearances during a loan at Crystal Palace earlier this year and will no doubt be relishing an opportunity to finally prove himself at Chelsea.

Batshuayi has made less than 40 appearances for the Blues' since joining from Marseille in 2016. With one less striker ahead of him in the lineup, he adds to the list of players who will benefit from Morata's departure.

Lastly and most simply, £58m for an unwanted player is excellent business and this money will add to Frank Lampard's transfer kitty when the club's ban is finally lifted - presuming Lampard is still in charge by that point, of course.

With this cash in the bank, the Blues will have the power to go out and make a big, marquee signing when they are allowed to reenter the market next summer. This will inevitably boost their chances of Premier League and Champions League success and add to an already talented group of players.