Alvaro Morata, Romelu Lukaku, Alexandre Lacazette: Who will bring most success?

Alvaro Morata, Lacazette, LukakuImage source, Reuters/Getty Images
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Vote on which you think is the best signing by using the links at the bottom of this page

Chelsea have agreed a deal for Alvaro Morata, Manchester United signed Romelu Lukaku and Arsenal broke their transfer record to bring in Alexandre Lacazette.

But who scored the most goals last season, who works hardest for the team, and who has the most potential to succeed?

In short, which club got the best deal?

Have a read below, and then vote on who you think is the best signing at the bottom of this page.

Romelu Lukaku (Everton to Manchester United)

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Lukaku scored his first Manchester United goal in a 2-1 friendly victory over Real Salt Lake on Tuesday

Age: 24

Transfer fee: £75m

Market valuation: £93.3m (based on data from CIES Football Observatory).

Goals last season: 26 in all competitions

Former Liverpool director of football Damien Comolli: "I'm a big fan of Lukaku and all that he has achieved already at such a young age. Pace, power, finishing, he is going to be a massive asset for Manchester United, and everyone can see he will fit into their style of play.

"He is incredibly dedicated about improving, which is a really important sign that he has the personality to fulfil his enormous potential. Having managed him before, at Chelsea, United boss Mourinho knows exactly what he is getting; Lukaku is going to take them to another level."

Former Everton midfielder Leon Osman: "He's a big guy and a big presence. As he's matured, he's had quite a bit more to say in the dressing room. It will be interesting to see if he can walk into the Manchester United dressing room and continue to do that.

"Throughout his youth and development, he has aspired to reach the very top. I think he'll fit well. He's got the temperament to handle the big situations."

Ex-Manchester United and Everton defender Phil Neville: "He is a young striker who is proven in the Premier League and has a history of scoring goals.

"He's a 20-goals-a-season man and maybe more, as he's getting older, in a better team with better service. So £75m seems quite a fair price for somebody of that ability and that age."

Belgium and Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany told ESPN: "Romelu has an incredible drive to improve and to score goals. It's something really unique that I've been able to observe over the years because he's been a player from Anderlecht, which is the same youth system where I come from, and I've really followed his progress.

"The key thing with him is he believes he's the best player in the world. It doesn't matter whether he is or he isn't, that's the way he approaches every single training session, that's the way he approaches every game."

  • Lukaku is only the fourth player to score more than 80 goals in the Premier League before turning 24 (after Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler and Wayne Rooney).

  • He is one of only three players to have scored more than 10 goals in each of the last five Premier League seasons (alongside Olivier Giroud and Sergio Aguero).

Alvaro Morata (Real Madrid to Chelsea, deal agreed)

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Morata made 43 appearances for Real last season, but started only 19 games

Age: 24

Transfer fee: £60m

Market valuation: £54m (based on data from CIES Football Observatory).

Goals last season: 20 in all competitions

Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin: "I wrote a piece on the Chelsea website about three months ago. I asked the fans: 'Who would you like most as a centre-forward?'

"There were three names that came up. Number three was Lukaku, number two was Alexis Sanchez, and number one? Morata. Now, most Chelsea fans will be smiling and punching the air, much the same way that I was."

European football journalist Mina Rzouki on BBC Radio 5 live: "If you offered me the choice between Morata and Lukaku, I wouldn't even think about it.

"I would pay £20m or £30m more if I had to and I would bring in Morata. That is because I would always prefer an intelligent player in my team. Even if he doesn't score as many goals, even if he doesn't do whatever he needs to.

"If he is more intelligent then he can be moulded quicker, he can do what he needs to do. And Morata has Champions League experience. He was second top scorer for Real Madrid despite not starting.

"He has done it at Juventus and he has done it at Real Madrid. He understands, he has the pace, he is intelligent, he links up play, he can be a counter-attacking threat."

Damien Comolli: "Morata did very well during two seasons with Juventus between 2014-2016, and that is probably what caught Antonio Conte's eye.

"I think he will be a success at Chelsea, but it seems he wasn't trusted at Real Madrid last season, so there is a small question mark over whether he can repeat what he achieved in Serie A. It will be interesting to see how he copes when he has to deliver around 30 goals a season."

Swansea manager Paul Clement was assistant to Carlo Ancelotti when Morata first broke into the Madrid team, during the 2013-14 campaign.

"I think he will settle well," he told BBC Sport Wales. "He is hungry, ambitious, hard working, has technical quality but is also good physically, he's a good boy. I look forward to coming across him when we play Chelsea."

  • Morata's conversion rate last season was 27%, the highest of any striker to score 10 or more goals in La Liga in 2016-17; he scored 15 goals from 55 shots.

  • Morata's goals won Real Madrid 13 points in La Liga last season; only Cristiano Ronaldo won more for the side, with 15.

Alexandre Lacazette (Lyon to Arsenal)

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Lacazette has played 275 times for Lyon, his boyhood club, scoring 129 goals

Age: 26

Transfer fee: £46.5m

Market valuation: £49m (based on data from CIES Football Observatory).

Goals last season: 37 in all competitions

Damien Comolli: "He is very good technically and will fit perfectly into Arsenal's style. You could already see that in the friendly with Bayern, with his combination play and the intelligence of his movement.

"I have always liked that he works so hard for his team. He fits perfectly with what Arsenal are trying to do. With a front three featuring Alexis Sanchez on the left, Mesut Ozil on the right and Lacazette down the middle, they will be a threat against any team."

French football journalist Julien Laurens on BBC Radio 5 live: "The first time Arsenal scout Gilles Grimandi went to watch him was 10 years ago and already then Arsene Wenger had an interest in him.

"They have looked at him so many times, year after year, and were not always convinced. Sometimes he was 'yes', sometimes it was 'give him a bit of time'. On this occasion, Wenger is convinced it is the right time for him. Lacazette has matured and improved massively."

BBC Sport's David Ornstein: "The player Arsenal really wanted this summer was Alexandre Lacazette and sources there tell me his arrival is another signal that the club are deadly serious when they say they want to become top-flight champions.

"Although breaking the club transfer record does not guarantee anything, acquiring Lacazette proves Arsenal and Wenger can still attract top players, even without Champions League football."

Your opinions on who is the best signing - #bbcfootball

Federico Manasse: Considering the amount of goals scored in the past years and the fair amount of European experience, it's undoubtedly Lacazette.

Cam: Lukaku, because he has everything Kane has, he just needed a better team around him. He's more powerful and faster than Kane too.

Solomon Kipruto: Morata, he is young and eager to impress. Very experienced for his age too.

mysterio biene: Lacazette, he has proven himself for 3 seasons now...

Josh Roberts: Lukaku - he's proven over a period of time he can score 20+ a season in the Prem. The others are gambles.

Sabali: Morata is the best because he has won the champions league plus La Liga

Riyan Vatcha: Definitely Lacazette. Cheaper + consistently scoring a lot year after year + decent European experience

Mark Lyons: Laca has been playing in the second rate Ligue 1. Morata hasn't played enough games to decide yet. Lukaku has proven it in the Prem.

The domestic stats over 2016-17

2016-17 league stats

Romelu Lukaku

Alexandre Lacazette

Alvaro Morata

Games played

37

30

26

Minutes played

3,267

2,408

1,331

Goals

25

28

15

Assists

6

3

4

Min per goal

131

86

89

Total shots

110

84

55

Shot conversion %

22.7%

33.3%

27.3%

Touches in opp. box

189

196

111

Vote: Who has got the best deal?

40% of voters believe Arsenal have got the best deal.

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