Arsenal and Tottenham should target Alvaro Morata

Alvaro Morata

Both Arsenal and Spurs are likely to be in the market for a forward this winter, and as such are likely to be linked with a number of the same players as the build-up to the transfer window gets underway. According to the Daily Mail, this week the north London rivals have both seen themselves linked with a loan move for Real Madrid forward Alvaro Morata. The 21-year-old striker is likely to leave the club on loan, in order to get first team football, and his style of play should make him perfectly placed to adapt both to the Premier League and to the demands of the lone striker roles played at both Arsenal and Tottenham.

Arsenal are infamously in dire need of a striker to provide back up to Olivier Giroud. Whilst the Frenchman has been in good form this season, covering almost every blade of grass on his way to seven league goals, the looming presence of Niklas Bendtner serves as a constant reminder that the Gunners are in major trouble if anything should happen to Giroud.

Spurs have equally well-documented problems up front. Whether Roberto Soldado is the right striker in the wrong formation, or just the wrong striker, he isn’t scoring from open play. Light on options behind him, with Jermain Defoe likely to leave the club and Emmanuel Adebayor invoking similar derision to his former North London colleague Bendtner, Spurs are also likely to be looking for a forward player.

Morata is a big local home favourite in Madrid, but will be allowed to leave on loan. In his 24 league appearances over the last two seasons he has completed only two games. He will bring versatility to whichever side he joins – one of the two games that he did complete was one of last year’s El Classicos, which he started from left wing.

However, whilst he can play wide his main position is through the middle. The Spaniard relishes an aerial duel, and is also comfortable with the ball at his feet. Such a combination of aggression, physicality and guile makes him the perfect frontman for the 4-2-3-1 formations exhibited by both Arsenal and Tottenham.

At 6 ft 3 he is comfortable leading the line, and would provide adequate like-for-like cover for Olivier Giroud. His attributes would also go down well at White Hart Lane. Andre Villas-Boas has drawn criticism for the mismatch that seems to be happening between Roberto Soldado’s attributes and the formation in which he is being asked to play, and will be eager to avoid making the same mistake again as he searches for more forwards. Where Soldado has struggled as the focal point of the attack – a quick look at his heat map below shows the extent to which he dropped deep for the ball in his last game – Morata would provide a threat from the front that is currently lacking.

Adept with the ball, Morata has provided five chances for his teammates this season. Four of these have been from central areas of the pitch, which reinforces the idea that Morata is well suited to leading the line for a Premier League side.

Unsurprisingly – given his size – Morata is also good in the air. He has won 71% of his headed duels this season, which amounts to a dominant 71% success rate. This is no flash in the pan, given that he won 20 from 29 headed duels last season to register a 69% success rate.

With such a blend of talented feet and dogged physical threat, Morata would appear on paper to be a good signing for either North London side. If the statistical story has yet to whet the appetite, Morata’s recent goal against Almeria (below) shows exactly what he can do.