After a troubled first season in English football, things are looking up for Alvaro Morata. Chelsea's club-record signing is now a father to twin boys after his wife Alice Campello gave birth on Sunday.
In a lengthy message alongside a picture posted on Instagram of his wife and sons in hospital, Morata praised Campello for fighting "like a lioness" during a difficult pregnancy that felt "like three years" with "nights in hospital" and "dehydrated days" -- which may go some way towards explaining why his form dropped off so badly after a bright start at Stamford Bridge.
Morata scored seven goals in his first eight appearances after signing for Chelsea from Real Madrid in a £58 million deal last summer, but found the net just eight more times between December and May amid reports that he had failed to settle in London and was open to a move back to Italy, where he flourished in two seasons at Juventus.
His enduring affection for all things Italian was further underlined by the fact that his wife gave birth in Dell'Angelo Hospital in Venice, and the couple chose to name their newborn sons Alessandro and Leonardo.
Chelsea supporters will be hoping that fatherhood will inspire him to rediscover his prolific touch on the pitch this season...