Why Juventus Would Be Wrong to Consider Sale of Alvaro Morata

There is no escaping the fact Alvaro Morata is struggling for Juventus, the Spanish striker clearly not at his best thus far in 2015/16. A variety of issues have come to the fore, and the question of what his future holds is more difficult than it may first appear for the reigning Serie A champions.

Of course, foremost among the complications in answering this question is the fact it may not actually be Juve’s decision to make. Morata’s former club, Real Madrid, holds an option to buy him back in the summers of 2016 or 2017 at a cost of up to €30 million, per the Italian club’s official website.

Putting that to one side and looking at the situation purely from a Juventus perspective, it would seemingly make little sense to sell a player who is clearly developing into a fine talent. The 23-year-old netted 15 goals in 46 appearances last term, displacing Fernando Llorente as the preferred partner for Carlos Tevez.

Morata became a force to be reckoned with in the Champions League, netting in both legs of the semi-final against Real and then against Barcelona in the final to highlight the impact he had on the team.

But this season, he has failed to replicate that impact and has scored just three times in 16 games, with his last strike coming against Bologna on October 4. Since then, he has gone 10 matches without scoring for club or country, and his poor return recently prompted him to speak out about his form.

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“This season has been a little more complicated for us,” he told El Larguero (h/t Gazzetta World). “I’ve struggled with injuries, and I’ve not been playing in my ideal role either,” referring to his position on the left of Massimiliano Allegri’s 4-3-3 formation.

However, the Juventus coach recently told Mediaset Premium (h/t Football Italia) the player is “learning more how to be a genuine centre-forward.”

It is interesting to note that while the goals have been scarce, various statistics show Morata has actually improved his overall play over the last 12 months.

Indeed, figures from Squawka show he has hit the target with 55 per cent of his attempts this domestic season, compared with just 50 per cent a year ago. The same source also highlights that Morata has already laid on 10 clear scoring chances this term, a significant way toward his tally of 19 in the whole of the 2014/15 domestic campaign.

While he may be being used in a different way, that comment from Allegri hinted at the shift being only temporary, and Juventus would also be somewhat reassured by an interview Morata gave to Spanish radio station Onda Cero earlier in November.

“Juve gambled on a lad who was playing little at Real Madrid rather than signing a big-name forward, and now I'm playing more than ever before and I've matured in every aspect of my life,” he said (h/t ESPN FC). “We're already talking about a new contract, but there's no rush.”

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Any such move would likely mean the end of that Real Madrid clause, and Juventus captain Gigi Buffon is in no doubt about what Morata could achieve, as he discussed in an interview with Marca back in September.

“Alvaro Morata is potentially a player who could become one of the top two or three in the world in a few years,” the goalkeeper said (h/t Football Italia), and the evidence clearly points in that direction.

If the choice remains theirs to make, Juve should do all they can to keep him in Turin for as long as possible, allowing him to do just that while wearing those famous black-and-white stripes.