Chelsea have announced the signing of Gonzalo Higuain on loan for the remainder of the season. Higuain is Chelsea’s second winter signing after Christian Pulisic.
Higuain who spent the last five years in Serie A, will reunite with Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri. The Argentine striker played his final season at Napoli under Sarri.
After spending three years at Napoli where he scored 92 goals and provided 26 assists from 147 appearances across all competitions, Higuain joined Juventus in 2016. His transfer fee of €90 million was the highest paid by an Italian club at that time.
Higuain spent two seasons at Juve, scoring 55 goals from 105 appearances across all competitions. The 31-year old joined AC Milan on loan this summer. He made 22 appearances for the Rossoneri, scoring 8 goals and providing three assists.
Higuain who will be donning the No.9 shirt for Chelsea said, “When the opportunity to join Chelsea presented itself I had to take it. It’s a team I’ve always liked that has a lot of history, a wonderful stadium and they play in the Premier League, a league I’ve always wanted to play in. I now hope I can give back that trust Chelsea have shown me out on the pitch. I can’t wait to start and I hope to adapt as soon as possible.
Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia said about the signing, “Gonzalo was our number one target in this transfer window and arrives with a proven record at the highest level. He has previously worked with Maurizio to great effect and is familiar with how the coach likes to play. This was not an easy deal for us to do because of the numerous parties involved, but we are delighted we were able to make it happen and we look forward to seeing the impact Gonzalo will make for us in the second half of the season.”
During his press-conference ahead of Chelsea’s second leg Carabao Cup semifinal against Tottenham, Maurizio Sarri praised Higuain. He said, “He is a very strong striker and was especially strong during my first season in Naples, he did very well and scored 36 goals in 35 games in Serie A, and 39 in total. For sure he is one of the best strikers in my career, he has the right experience to play here.”
Sarri said that the Argentine will not feature in tomorrow’s match against Spurs. Hence, Higuain’s Chelsea debut will most likely come in Sunday’s FA Cup encounter against Sheffield Wednesday.
Chelsea have added Higuain to their squad to bolster their attack as their centre-forwards Olivier Giroud and Alvaro Morata have misfired this season so far. This has propelled Maurizio Sarri to deploy Eden Hazard as a false nine in Chelsea’s last few matches.
Higuain hasn’t been the prolific striker he once was during his spells at Real Madrid and Napoli. Hence, many have said that the striker will flop at Chelsea. However, Sarri seems to have faith in the striker.
Nevertheless, whether Higuain’s signing will be a boon or a bane for Chelsea, only time will tell.
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