With the summer transfer market well and truly underway, there have been signings that will define this period ten years down the line. Apart from the business that clubs like Everton and AC Milan have done, teams have managed to make a mark in the by spending big on a small set of players. However, the moves that stand out from the bunch are Manchester United’s capture of Romelu Lukaku and Chelsea’s signing of Alvaro Morata.

 

Before either transpired, many expected the two players to move in opposite directions as speculation was rife with Lukaku close to moving to Stamford Bridge and Morata in talks with Jose Mourinho’s United. This, as most would anticipate, led to the Old Trafford faithful hailing Morata as being a wonderful signing and Chelsea fans declaring Lukaku as exactly the striker they would need to replace the outgoing Diego Costa. More so, there was hardly any shortage of derision for the signings that each of them were on the verge of making. But as soon as the tides turned, the exact opposite happened. It’s a case of hypocrisy at its very best, but it’s natural for fans to defend their own players. Now that the signings have been made, it’s very obvious indeed.

 

Before we set off in an attempt to determine as to who has the better deal, let us realise that the best player isn’t the one who scores more goals, but the one who is more complete. The definition varies from person to person, but a player’s overall output determines how important he is to the team and to the system that the manager has in place.

 

The Blues have roped in Morata for a club record £60 million, while United have brought in Lukaku for an initial £75 million fee. The fee for the Belgian is expected to rise further still to around £15 million due to add-ons and this will go a long way in deciding as to who has been the better signing. After all, the desperation that the clubs had to purchase a quality goalscorer was similar. United had to replace the now departed Zlatan Ibrahimovic, while Chelsea were looking to bring in someone who could make them forget about the goals that Diego Costa has given them over the past three seasons. With both set to challenge for the title, the need seems equally obvious.

 

Lukaku’s exploits in the Premier League are well documented. The Belgian has been the Premier League's third highest scorer since the 2013-14 season, behind the duo of Harry Kane and Sergio Aguero. He found the back of the 25 times last season and was on his way to become the highest goalscorer, before Harry Kane scored two hat-tricks in the last two league games for Spurs. Despite that, he was a consistent marksman for the Toffees since joining the club initially on-loan in the 2013-14 season due to the fact that he has been a regular starter on Merseyside.

 

That’s something Morata has hardly been, especially last season at the Santiago Bernabeu. Despite being frozen out at the club, the Spaniard scored 15 times in just 14 starts and 12 substitute appearances. That takes his goalscoring average to more than 0.5, meaning that he scores once in every two games. It was at Juventus though, that Morata really shone  playing in a 3-5-2 formation. He scored 15 times in two seasons, but his overall contribution to the game stood out.

 

Both have played under Mourinho in the past and it was under the Portuguese tactician that Lukaku was off-loaded to Everton on a permanent deal back in 2015. As far as Morata is concerned, he was handed a debut by Mourinho during his first spell at Real Madrid. 

 

Lukaku is rightly criticised for having a bad first touch and hold up skills that can be best described as inconsistent. The only reason why Morata hasn't’t been able to prove himself as much the big Belgian is due to a lack of game time. The former Old Lady star happens to be better than Lukaku in almost every aspect of the game and stands out in terms of completeness. He may well have come close to replicating Lukaku’s tally, if he had become a regular at Los Blancos. It’s obvious that the presence of Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo can reduce any player’s role to a part-time one. Despite that, Morata’s goalscoring stood out. And the fact that he scored decisive goals in close fought games increases his value all the more.

 

Lukaku’s performance against Manchester City in the recent friendly was certainly promising. He lifted people off their seats and got an impressive opener as well. It was probably an expression of how he will be used by Mourinho, with players such as Marcus Rashford, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Jesse Lingard behind him. He just needs to run into channels and finish off the chances he gets; if the players behind him are functioning well enough. The amount of chances that United missed last season was frustrating. The build up was attractive, but the finishing was found wanting at times. Lukaku brings that to the table.

 

Having been instrumental in his arrival in Turin Conte now finds Morata a more well-rounded player. His goalscoring ability has improved and the Spaniard has retained a lot of those hold up attributes, apart from the ability to make runs in behind. The man he will replace, Diego Costa, found the back of the net 20 times last season and his tendency to never give defenders a moments peace and bully them throughout the game was a vital part of his armoury. Morata may not be as tempestuous as his Spanish team-mate, but he will work well in a system he is familiar with. 

 

At Juventus, Paul Pogba was handed the freedom to create things for players around him and he flourished. The current Manchester United superstar was played in the heart of the park of the 3-5-2 shape and Morata was hardly made to drop in and do the dirty work because Allegri had other players doing that job. Eden Hazard provides a similar role at Chelsea on the left flank. The Belgian has the room to create, drift in and help the forwards score goals. And Morata thrives on that.

 

All in all, it comes down to which team got what they wanted for a cheaper price. While United don’t have any shortage of cash in their coffers, Chelsea have done well to sign Morata when Real Madrid were reportedly demanding around £80 million from the Red Devils. When the season ends though, the role of the managers will have been crucial. The manner in which they use their new, marquee signings will go a long way in deciding as to who comes out on top over the next nine-months.


Kaustubh Pandey