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New Chelsea striker will be a flop

By Rucker Haringey

Michy Batshuayi of Belgium during the International friendly match between Belgium and Finland on June 1, 2016 at the Koning Boudewijn stadium in Brussels, Belgium.(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images)
Michy Batshuayi of Belgium during the International friendly match between Belgium and Finland on June 1, 2016 at the Koning Boudewijn stadium in Brussels, Belgium.(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images) /
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Chelsea will come to regret spending so much money to acquire Michy Batshuayi

Chelsea have made one of the transfer season’s biggest mistakes by splashing this kind of money for Marseille forward Michy Batshuayi. He’s a nice, talented player, but he’s likely going to be overwhelmed by the pressure of leading the line at Stamford Bridge.

Reports from France claim that Chelsea have struck an agreement with Marseille to purchase the Belgian striker for somewhere around 40 million pounds. That sum allows Chelsea to defeat Crystal Palace, West Ham, Tottenham and Arsenal in the hotly contested transfer race.

I think Batshuayi is a nice, developmental prospect, but he isn’t anywhere near a finished product. That’s why I am so down on Chelsea investing so much to bring him to the Premier League. For 40 million pounds, they should have purchased a forward that’s ready to come in and replace Diego Costa immediately.

It will be interested to see whether or not new Chelsea manager Antonio Conte hands the starting role to Batshuayi immediately, or hangs on to Diego Costa for a while to ease the starlet’s transition. No matter which route Conte chooses, the pressure on Batshuayi is going to be immense as soon as he arrives in the Premier League.

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Chelsea fans will know the money their favorite club has splashed out for their new striker and they’ll expect it to pay dividends immediately. He’s not going to be blessed with any sort of grace period after his arrival. Chelsea just isn’t a club that’s going to be patient with young talent at this juncture in their history.

That lack of patience is exactly why Chelsea should have purchased a more established front man. Batshuayi managed to score plenty of goals last season for Marseille, but the rest of his game proved to be pretty immature. That’s why, despite his lofty goal total of 17, he only managed to post a Whoscored.com player rating average of 6.93 in Ligue 1 play.

That rating illustrates that Batshuayi was a slightly below average striker in France’s top flight last season. That sort of performance doesn’t bode well for a smooth transition to the Premier League. In fact, most young players who come to the Premier League from France generally see their performance dip significantly in their first season.

If Batshuayi isn’t at least as effective for Chelsea as he was for Marseille last season, it’s not going to be a pretty scene. Batshuayi will be quickly banished to the bench by Conte and the fans will be clamoring for the club to sell him in the January transfer window. It’s just not a recipe for success for Batshuayi or the club.

Related Story: Tottenham wise to snub Batshuayi

Chelsea fans can delight in beating several Premier League rivals for Michy Batshuayi’s services, but those same Premier League sides may have the last laugh when the Belgian striker struggles to make an early impact at Stamford Bridge.

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