Alvaro Morata began the summer convinced that Antonio Conte would move heaven and earth to bring him to London. And so it has proved.
The 80m euros (£70m) that Real Madrid say Chelsea are paying is a lot of money for someone who has been second choice for his club behind Karim Benzema and second choice for his country behind Diego Costa. But Conte believes, and that could make all the difference to the way things turn out.
‘I’m going to play for the coach who has put most faith in me,’ he told reporters as he boarded his flight for Heathrow at Los Angeles Airport on Wednesday.