Alvaro Morata has revealed that he “had to stay” at Juventus in January amid reported interest from Arsenal and Tottenham.
Chelsea splashed out £60m to sign the Spain international ahead of the 2017/18 campaign.
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Morata scored eleven goals in the Premier League during his debut season. He then added five more from his 16 appearances up until January in 2018/19.
The Spaniard was loaned out to Atletico Madrid in January 2019. This move was made permanent in 2020 as they paid around £58m for him.
Morata has been on loan at Juventus since the start of the 2020/21 season. He has netted five goals from his 25 outings in Serie A this term.
With Arsenal letting Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leave in the January transfer window, the Premier League club have been linked with numerous strikers, including Morata.
When asked about interest from elsewhere, Morata told Tutto Mercato Web (via HITC): “It’s not important.
“We talked with the coach during the transfer window, about his ideas. And he told me the arrival of Dusan would help me and that has been the case. I’m happy to be here. If it depended on me, I would always stay here.
“(Max Allegri) told me that I had to stay and that he trusted me. Now I have to give everything to return his trust.”
Meanwhile, Arsenal midfielder Ainsley Maitland-Niles has been told that he has not “made a difference” for Roma since his move to Italy.
The England international joined Roma on loan during the winter transfer window.
Loris Boni – who played 80 times for Roma in the 1970’s – has been asked about Maitland-Niles and Sergio Oliveira.
As quoted by Sport Witness, he has suggested that the Gunners player has not made much of an impact for the Italians:
“They haven’t impacted a lot. Maybe they haven’t settled in yet. They have a hard time grasping Italian football. English and Portuguese football is quite different.
“If you join a team that is not in condition, it’s not easy to fit in. They are players who have come to complete the staff. They aren’t ones who make the difference.”