Alvaro Morata Loaned to Atletico Madrid from Chelsea Until End of 2019-20

Atletico Madrid announced Monday that they have completed the signing of Alvaro Morata from Chelsea on an 18-month loan deal:

Dominic Fifield of the Guardian reported on January 21 that the capital club will be able to make the transfer permanent at the end of the season if they wish for a fee of £48.5 million.

Morata makes the move after Gonzalo Higuain joined the Blues for the rest of 2018-19.

The move appears to certainly be the end of Morata's career at Stamford Bridge. The former Real Madrid and Juventus forward arrived at Chelsea in the summer of 2017 for a then club-record fee of £60 million, and while he enjoyed a bright start to his Blues career, he's struggled as of late.

In the current campaign, the Spain international has only found the net five times in the Premier League, leaving Chelsea without a reliable goalscorer. Because of his profligacy, manager Maurizio Sarri has moved Eden Hazard to the point of the attack despite being at his best from the left.

As Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph relayed, the manager appeared intent on a change of personnel up top:

The attributes are there when it comes to Morata, as his movement is sharp, he has a good change of pace and can be physical in the penalty area.

The main issue for him appears to be a lack of confidence, meaning a decent run of form can be spoiled by missing a chance. Atletico fans will hope their firebrand coach Diego Simeone will be the man to finally add some fire to the forward's belly.

As Spanish football commentator Rob Palmer noted, Simeone has had mixed results when it comes to signing strikers:

During his time in the Premier League, the Spaniard did at least show an aptitude for aerial battles:

At Atletico, he will face competition for his place in the lineup. While Antoine Griezmann is a surefire starter, Simeone clearly rates Diego Costa, too, although he is currently out due to injury; Nikola Kalinic has struggled to show his best since joining in the summer.

Morata has played for some huge clubs in his career already, and it's clear coaches do see something in him. At 26, he should be in the prime years of his career, and a move back to Madrid to work under a coach like Simeone feels like a scenario that may galvanise him.