He wasn't overpriced though. There are plenty of worse players going for more these days, and only a very select few being sold more cheaply. The real problem was, and in a way still is, the buy-back clause. I wouldn't call the transfer bad in any way because of it, mainly due to my belief that it won't actually be excercised, but still.
20/22M for a kid who didn't play much at the pros is definitely overpriced, unless you are talking about a generational talent, which is not the case.
And it adds up the risk we run that this may become a loan pretty soon. The risk Marotta took is immense.
But even tough we overpayed, the upside is great and by the end of the season Morata may very well be valued around 25M. So kudos to Marotta. It's a high risk - high reward situation.
It's much different from overpaying 17-18M from Pereyra. It's a high risk with low reward situation.
But I really like the talent evaluation in Morata's case. Overpaying was what it took to get him.
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Btw i'm a Morata fanboy. I really like his characteristics. And I think his finishing is underrated. The kid has amazing tools. What worsens his finishing was his mental state, his anxiety, nervousness. And he's now getting over it. We're seeing the boy become a man.