Alvaro Morata has come through a “very hard” period at Chelsea and is now setting his sights on breaking the 30-goal barrier.
Having been snapped up from Real Madrid by Antonio Conte in a £70 million ($90m) deal, big things were expected of the Spanish striker at Stamford Bridge.
He did find the target 15 times during his debut campaign in west London, but found the going tough in the Premier League as Chelsea favoured a more direct approach.
Maurizio Sarri is attempting to make the Blues more pleasing on the eye this term and with Morata back among the goals against Arsenal, the 25-year-old is now setting lofty targets.
Morata, who had been heavily linked with a move elsewhere over the summer, told Chelsea’s official website: “The last year was very hard for me, not just with confidence.
“The injury [last season] was very bad for me and my head, but when the ball goes into the net everything changes. Your mind isn’t blocked anymore and I hope now I can score a lot of goals.
“For sure I want to score more than 30 goals, but I would prefer to score 15 or 20 and for us to win the Premier League or another big trophy.
“I want to score many goals but the most important thing is the team.”
Getty ImagesMorata believes he can flourish under Sarri, with the new Chelsea manager setting his side up to play to the strengths of a fearsome attacking unit which also includes the likes of Eden Hazard, Willian and Pedro.
“I think we play good football when we have the ball,” said Morata.
“We need to improve on small things but it’s only been one month since we’ve all been together with the manager and I think if we continue like this we can play against any team in the world.
“I’m very happy because it was three very important points against Arsenal. In the Premier League I think if you win your first five games you’re in the fight because here in every game you can lose or drop points.”
Chelsea have taken six points from their two fixtures to date, with a trip to Newcastle next up on Sunday.