Alvaro Morata’s performance for Spain against Germany in midweek was a timely reminder of what could have been for him at Chelsea.
As well as getting himself on the scoresheet, he got one over new Blues forward Timo Werner with a sublime piece of skill which saw him pirouette away from the German striker – Maradonna style.
Morata’s struggles at Stamford Bridge are well documented but since leaving England he has started to show why the London club broke their transfer record to sign him in 2017.
He is not the only attacker to have failed miserably in the Premier League and gone on to have success elsewhere. Sportsmail takes a look at some of the other flops who went on to better things…
Striker Alvaro Morata is back to his best form with Juventus and the Spanish national team
Alvaro Morata
Spanish strikers and record transfer fees just don’t seem to work at Stamford Bridge.
Just over six years after the Blues wasted £50million on Fernando Torres, £60m was splashed on Morata.
While 16 goals in 46 games isn’t the worst record in Premier League history, it’s fair to say Chelsea fans were expecting a bit more. He ended up being sent on an 18-month loan to Atletico Madrid, who agreed to buy him for £58m in 2019.
The striker got back to his best in LaLiga, scoring 16 goals in the 2019-2020 season before joining Juventus on loan in the summer.
He already has six goals in eight games for the Serie A side and is the first choice striker for his country.
The striker has had success with Atletico Madrid and Juventus after failing at Chelsea
Diego Forlan
After waiting 23 games for his first Manchester United goal, the Uruguayan only managed nine more before signing for Villarreal.
In Spain, the striker put the ‘Diego Forlorn’ nickname behind him with 25 goals in his first season, sharing the European Golden Boot with Thierry Henry.
Forlan then won a move to Atletico Madrid, where he played the best football of his career. He scored 96 goals in 198 appearances, including a brace against Fulham in the 2010 Europa League final.
Forlan then had another successful spell with Inter Milan and picked up the Golden Ball for being the best player at the 2010 World Cup,
Forlan might not have been a prolific goalscorer at Old Trafford but his work rate and determination endeared him to the United supporters.
The reward, however, came away from Manchester.
Diego Forlan only managed 10 goals for Manchester United but went on to be a success
Andrej Kramaric
Leicester famously beat Chelsea to the signature of the Croatian forward, who became their record signing at £9m in 2015.
The Foxes won the title in Kramaric’s first season – but as he only played twice he was not eligible for a winner’s medal and he joined Bundesliga side Hoffenheim in 2016.
The striker has been a revelation in German with 78 goals in 154 games and he’s already managed nine in six matches this season.
He also helped end Bayern Munich’s unbeaten record in September with a brilliant brace.
Andrej Kramaric failed at Leicester but has been a revelation since signing for Hoffenheim
Bosko Balaban
Expectations were high in 2001 when Aston Villa boss John Gregory paid £5.8m for the Croatian international, who came with a reputation for being a prolific goalscorer.
And he was – just not for Villa.
Balaban made just nine appearances in his first season at Villa Park and was quickly loaned back to Dinamo Zagreb where he rediscovered his form with 15 goals.
The striker was eventually released in December 2003 and signed for Club Brugge where he became known as ‘Super Bosko’. He scored goals regularly for nearly every club he played for but never found the net in the Premier League.
Bosko Balaban managed to score goals at every club he played for apart from Aston Villa
Jon Dahl Tomasson
Primarily an attacking midfielder, Tomasson was signed as the perfect link-up player for Alan Shearer at Newcastle in 1997.
That plan quickly went out the window when the England forward picked up a season-ending injury.
The sale of Les Ferdinand meant the Dane was moved into the centre forward role – a position he was not suited to. With just four goals in 35 games, Tomasson joined Feyenoord in 1998.
After scoring 69 goals in four seasons and helping the Dutch side win the the UEFA Cup in 2002, the forward joined AC Milan where he went on to win the Champions League.
Newcastle flop Jon Dahl Tomasson went on to win the UEFA Cup and Champions League
Jozy Altidore
After a dismal loan spell with Hull City in the 2010-2011 season where he managed to score just one goal, the striker was not expected to get another shot in the Premier League.
But blinded by his form in Holland for AZ Alkmaar, where he managed 51 goals in three seasons, Sunderland decided to give him a second chance.
The Black Cats paid £6m for the American. He repaid them by finding the back of the net once in two years, giving him a grand total of two goals in 70 Premier League games. At least his form in England was consistent.
Since returning to the MLS, Altidore has scored 60 goals in five seasons.
Jozy Altidore failed twice in the Premier League but has scored goals in Holland and America
Memphis Depay
Louis van Gaal convinced Manchester United to part with £25m to take the attacker to Old Trafford.
He had shown a lot of promise at PSV Eindhoven but Depay managed just seven goals and six assists in 53 games with United.
The Dutchman looked devoid of all confidence by the time he left United but he has rejuvenated his career with Lyon in France.
Since signing for the Ligue 1 club in 2017, Depay has scored 54 goals and already has five this season.
He came close to joining Barcelona in the summer and is still a target for the LaLiga side.
Memphis Depay failed to make it at Old Trafford but has turned his career around at Lyon
Iago Aspas
The Spaniard had a truly forgettable spell in Merseyside after signing for £9m in 2013, summed up by possibly the worst corner ever against Chelsea in 2014.
He failed to register a league goal in his first season before he was loaned to Sevilla for the 2014-2015 campaign. The forward finally departed to join Celta Vigo in 2015 and has not looked back.
He has scored 93 goals in six LaLiga seasons and has turned into the striker Brendan Rodgers thought he had signed.
Iago Aspas had a forgettable time in Merseyside but has become a prolific goalscorer in Spain
Dusan Tadic
The forward’s best season in the Premier League came in the 2015-2016 campaign when his seven goals and 12 assists helped Southampton finish sixth.
But his career at St Mary’s rather fizzled out with the club avoiding relegation by just three points in his final season.
Since signing for Ajax in 2018, the Serbian international has scored 62 goals in all competitions.
He also put on a masterclass performance against Real Madrid, assisting two goals and scoring one, as Ajax beat the Spanish giants 4-1 to knock them out of the Champions League in 2018-19.
Dusan Tadic’s Southampton career fizzled out but he has been a big hit since signing for Ajax