Chelsea have signed on loan one of the most prolific strikers in European football in recent years. A finisher who has, to date, scored 268 goals over the course of a career that has seen him play for some of the most famous clubs in the world: River Plate, Real Madrid, Juventus and AC Milan. A forward who played the best football of his career at Napoli under the guidance of current Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri. So why does Gonzalo Higuain’s arrival in west London feel so underwhelming?
Some people attribute it to to the fact that he is widely under appreciated. Despite becoming the second youngest player ever to reach a century of goals at Real Madrid, he was sold to make way for Gareth Bale. After a successful spell at Napoli, Juventus spent a fortune to sign him from their Serie A rivals, but they quickly shipped him off to another when they were able to acquire Higuain’s lauded former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo. Moreover, although he scored a hat-trick at the 2010 World Cup, Argentina fans also have mixed feelings about him. If Higuain had been less profligate in the finals of the World Cup in 2014 and the Copa America in 2015, Argentina wouldn’t still be burdened by their failure to win any major international trophies since 1993.
Other sceptics look at Higuain’s age. As an athlete who has recently turned 31-years-old, he still has the potential to be a huge success at Stamford Bridge. However, it’s impossible to avoid the comparison with other Chelsea signings who were past their best when they joined the club. Andriy Shevchenko, Hernan Crespo and Fernando Torres all failed to deliver in the manner that was hoped and their market value declined rapidly.
Higuain’s loan spell in the Premier League may be a huge success, but the club would do well to recall previous expensive mistakes before deciding to pay Juventus the agreed £31.3million fee in order to sign the Argentinian long-term.
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