Chelsea transfer news: Gonzalo Higuain just needs faith and Maurizio Sarri is the right man to give it to him

The 31-year-old has struggled on loan at AC Milan from Juventus with his career showing he needs to feel loved to fire in front of goal

Of the hundreds of goals that Gonzalo Higuain has scored in his career, this was one he celebrated with particular relish, and with a profound sense of release. That was not just because this first-time finish against Belgium was his one goal of the 2014 World Cup. It was because this was just one of many days at that tournament where he had to call his then Napoli manager Rafa Benitez, to effectively talk him through his game and what runs to make, as well as his downbeat mood throughout the spell in Brazil.

The unique pressure of an Argentina World Cup was taking its toll, on someone that is close to being a unique striker. This was finally a display of his talent in this tournament.

This is also who Chelsea are banking their attack, and their season.

Any supporters concerned that they’re set to trade one overly sensitive striker in Alvaro Morata for another – or that Higuain is currently on one of his worst scoring runs since that summer of 2014 – should however consider some key differences.

The Argentine has a track record of scoring everywhere, and isn’t now being expected to make the step-up.

There is also only one manager who Higuain has worked better with than Benitez, and that is Maurizio Sarri. The Italian is the reason Higuain wants to go to Chelsea. If it comes down to choosing a club solely for a coach, the striker will always pick Sarri.

Such factors feed into a question that has almost characterised Higuain’s career, one that is now bringing him to a third major European league, and yet another European super-club. How is that a striker who has scored such high numbers of goals can also be responsible for so many high-profile high-importance misses?

How is it – in the words of some of his most celebrated teammates – he can look like one of the greatest strikers that has ever played one day, and like, well, an off-form Morata the next?

Some in Serie A do believe that such perceptions of Higuain come from a certain Premier League snootiness, of the type that Zlatan Ibrahimovic was subjected to before very easily changing people’s minds at Manchester United. They expect Higuain to do the same with Chelsea, and can point to all those trophies he’s won, and all those goals he’s scored as evidence. A strike rate of over one every two games since arriving at Real Madrid from River Plate in 2006 has brought three Spanish titles, two Italian titles, one Spanish cup and three Italian Cups.

AC Milan’s Gonzalo Higuain controls the ball (AFP/Getty Images)

It remains pointed that, despite Cristiano Ronaldo partly leaving the Bernabeu because he felt slighted at not being considered as great as Alfredo Di Stefano, the Portuguese has won fewer Liga medals than Higuain.

And yet, Juventus prised Ronaldo from Madrid precisely because he represented such an upgrade in terms of clutch finishes; because they wanted to get that bit closer to finally winning the Champions League.

That emphasises how Higuain’s record of big misses can’t really be waved away. Before you even get to key Champions League matches, there were the squandered chances for Argentina in three successive finals: the 2014 World Cup, the 2015 Copa America, and then the 2016 Copa America.

There is even the view that there would be little argument about Leo Messi’s standing as the game’s greatest ever player had Higuain managed to take even one of his many chances in those games. The opportunity in the 2015 final against hosts Chile was probably the worst. Messi finally evaded a sophisticated marking system to beat two players and get free, to put the ball on Higuain’s foot just yards from goal… only for it to end up yards wide.

Many who know the striker say this shows how occasions can get to him. Criticism about his performances in them certainly gets to him. One story from Italy is that he got into an argument while on holiday in Ibiza in 2015, because he was told by a passer-by he couldn’t take penalties.

There are then the claims that he was never comfortable at Madrid because of the competition, and was reluctant to join Arsenal when leaving in 2013 because they seemed so much more interested in Luis Suarez.

This is what it really comes down to with Higuain. He needs shows of faith, and to be shown the way.

Another perception of Higuain is that he is almost a “plug and play” forward, able to just score no matter what system or circumstance he’s put into, but this has never been the case. Those who have worked with him say he actually needs a lot of guidance, a lot of specific instruction on runs. That is why he so liked Benitez, and that is why he loves Sarri. He got that in abundance from his former Napoli manager as well as the faith that he has felt somewhat lacking at Milan by the end.

Gonzalo Higuain will reunite with Maurizio Sarri (AFP/Getty Images)

If there now feels a danger that Chelsea are banking the rest of their season on a confidence player that has no confidence, that isn’t quite the full story. There is more to it than that.

Higuain chose Milan in the summer because the club really laid on the charm. They made out how much they wanted him. He felt loved.

New CEO Ivan Gazidis then arrived in September and dictated a policy of not signing over-30s, while Uefa imposed some tough FFP sanctions in December. Milan then began to look at the Higuain deal, and questioned whether they could justify it. The word came down that they would only sign him on a permanent basis if they got Champions League qualification. Sources maintain he took this as a lack of faith, and it doesn’t feel a coincidence that his form has plummeted since, with just one goal in 11 games. The farcical performance against Juventus, a game that had naturally been so built up in his head, didn’t help.

Many expect it to be different at Chelsea. Sarri has already got the club to bend their own over-30s policy to sign him. He will then show him precisely where to run, and precisely the regular shows of faith Higuain needs.