Chelsea will ultimately regret letting Tiemoue Bakayoko go permanently

Chelsea midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko looks set to go on loan with an option to buy. The Blues will ultimately regret letting Bakayoko go permanently.

Tiemoue Bakayoko arrived at Chelsea as one of the world’s most promising midfielders. He was a key cog in the Monaco machine that broke Paris Saint Germain’s Ligue 1 dynasty. He represented power and tenacity and was wanted by several of the world’s top clubs. Chelsea won out.

But Bakayoko would ultimately prove to be a victim of circumstance. Time after time, things went against him and he was caught by things outside of his control.

Now, Bakayoko is set to be loaned to AC Milan with an option to buy. Chelsea has all but given up on the midfielder. But like Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne, and Mohammed Salah before him, Chelsea will regret letting this player get away.

To understand why Chelsea is opting out too soon, one must look at the circumstances that made many believe he was a lost cause. More than anything, circumstances halted Bakayoko in his tracts and pushed Chelsea to this point.

The plan was for Nemanja Matic to stay at Chelsea for another season with Bakayoko as his deputy. But Jose Mourinho turned Matic’s head and he departed for Manchester United (something the board should not have allowed, but that is a whole other article). Bakayoko suddenly went from deputy to first choice in a new league with a new team. It was a big ask for the Frenchman.

But Bakayoko also arrived at Chelsea injured. The injury meant that he had to slowly be brought back into playing time. But injuries, suspensions, and transfers forced Antonio Conte to throw Bakayoko in early. Despite doing well in the early days, it was too much too soon for the midfielder. He quickly wore down and his play started to suffer as a result.

As Bakayoko’s fitness declined, his play followed. He could start a match well but as soon as he made just one mistake, his confidence would be shot and the mistakes would come from everywhere. Eventually, Conte dropped him to get his head right. But the team as a whole was struggling during that period and every player was doing similarly to Bakayoko bar a few.

Bakayoko’s first season can be written off as a one season blip like so many players before him in a new league. His second season could only have been better. But then another circumstance changed; Maurizio Sarri replaced Antonio Conte as Chelsea manager.

Bakayoko is the type of player who excels on a counter attacking, defensively oriented team. He does not excel on a team that is in control of the ball and on the front foot. Bakayoko did not suit Sarri’s style and thus would have little opportunity to move into the squad.

Even still, giving up on Bakayoko after a bad year with poor circumstances is unlike Chelsea. Furthermore, even though he does not suit Sarri now, it does not mean he will always be on the outs. A good, confidence building year could have seen Bakayoko break into the team regardless of how well he suited Sarri’s style. And given Chelsea’s history with managers, Bakayoko could have gone on loan for a season or two and returned to a manager who had more use for him.

Instead, Chelsea has hit the eject button on the Frenchman. Given his promise before joining Chelsea and the circumstances of last year, the Blues will regret that option to buy. Bakayoko is likely to go to Milan and dominate the league. The clause will be triggered, and in a few years he will end up in the Premier League again. And week after week, fans will lament another one that got away.