Chelsea flop opens up after missing out on Arsenal January transfer move

03/19/2025 09:46 AM

Alvaro Morata insists he has no regrets about moving to Galatasaray in the January transfer window and has hinted he would relish a permanent move to the Turkish giants.

The nomadic striker’s career took another unexpected detour at the start of the year after he left Milan following an unhappy six-month stint at San Siro.

Moratajoined the Serie A club last summer in an £11 million move from Atletico Madrid but he failed to make an impact with the Rossoneri and jumped at the chance of linking up with Jose Mourinho.

The Spain international had also been coveted by Arsenal in January when the Gunners were keen to bolster their attack in light of the injuries sustained by Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz.

While in Spain for a Champions League game against Girona, Arsenal chiefs held talks with the agent of goalkeeper Joan Garcia who is a long-term target.

Garcia’s representative is also the agent of Morata and during talks over a possible deal for the Espanyol No.1 the prospect of the former Chelsea striker moving to Arsenal was mooted.

At that point in the window, however, Arsenal were focusing their efforts on an audacious move for Ollie Watkins which provided Galatasaray with the opportunity to pounce.

And while he has only spent a few short months in Turkey, Morata appears delighted with how the move has turned out.

‘I would like to stay at Galatasaray for a long time, but they also have to want me to stay. I'm very happy here, they treat me very well and with affection,’  Morata told Cadena SER radio

‘The rivalry between Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe is much more intense and heightened than that of Real Madrid-Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid-Barcelona.

‘I had never seen anything like it. A foreign referee came to officiate the derby, and there were more than 30,000 police officers in the stadium. It was incredible.’

While he harbours no regrets over a move to Galatasaray, the 32-year-old confessed he should not have been so hasty when it came to leaving Atletico Madrid.

‘In the summer, I should have thought about things more,’ Morata said. ‘[I should have thought about] whether to leave Atletico or not.

‘When things aren’t right in certain parts of your life, you take the wrong decisions, not just in football.

‘You can’t change it. You have to move forward. We’re very happy, I’m happy with my football, I’m happy with the national team.

‘Next year if all goes well and [Galatasaray] win the league, we’ll be in the Champions League. Turkey might seem a less competitive league, but the Champions League is the Champions League.

‘[With hindsight] for sure I wouldn’t have taken [the decision]… I didn’t know how to see the reality. We were European champions, at Atletico there were more and more people who loved me, who understood me. But they are decisions you take in life.’