Chelsea plan to bury Michy Batshuayi
Chelsea intend to demote Michy Batshuayi
The struggles of Michy Batshuayi have been obscured by Chelsea’s excellent start to the season. Unfortunately for the talented Belgian, it’s pretty obvious that Antonio Conte and the Blues don’t have any real faith in his ability to help the squad.
Why else would they plan to send him even further down the depth chart? Reports from England claim that Conte is keen on adding Swansea striker Fernando Llorente to his squad during the January transfer window. That sort of acquisition would send a clear signal to Batshuayi that he’s surplus to requirements.
Undoubtedly, the majority of Chelsea supporters reading this will make the point that Llorente is a just a short-term option to boost Conte’s striking options. Theoretically, he could be coming to Stamford Bridge just to provide Batshuayi with more time to adjust to the pressures of Premier League football.
That’s a beautiful story, but it’s purely fiction. If Batshuayi isn’t fit to be Diego Costa’s backup at this point in his career, his chances of ever being a Chelsea starter are quite remote. I would be stunned if Roman Abramovich doesn’t move to acquire another big-name striker this summer. Batshuayi’s days at Stamford Bridge are numbered.
It’s rather a shame that the Belgian hasn’t been given more of an opportunity to make an impact. He’s clearly a talented player. Unfortunately, he just isn’t ready to be a significant contributor for a Premier League title contender. That isn’t a sin for a player of his age, but it will end up as a black mark against his career for the foreseeable future.
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You have to wonder how things might have gone differently for Batshuayi if he would have accepted a summer transfer to a different Premier League club. Both Tottenham and West Ham were strongly linked with his services at various times during the summer window. In the end, the Belgian snubbed them both for the chance to move to Chelsea.
That was a great move for his bank account, but not nearly as good a choice for his career development. He’d likely be the starting centre forward for West Ham if he’d gone with Slaven Bilic this summer. At Tottenham, he’d certainly be playing minutes ahead of Vincent Janssen as the Spurs’ backup to Harry Kane.
If Michy Batshuayi’s Chelsea career isn’t dead, it’s certainly on life support. The impending arrival of Fernando Llorente will push the talented youngster further down Antonio Conte’s depth chart.