Michy Batshuayi: The curious case of Chelsea’s most-neglected transfer

Diego Costa reportedly suffered an injury while on international duty for Spain. However, it likely will not be enough to bring Chelsea’s forgotten £32 million man, Michy Batshuayi, into the lineup.

A mix of mystery and excitement swirled around Michy Batshuayi’s signing from Marseille last summer. Chelsea spent £32 million on a striker who was not even Belgium’s number one choice in the European Championships. That struck people – particularly Chelsea fans – as rather odd.

Batshuayi was relatively unknown at the time. He had been strongly linked with a move to England for a few months prior to the transfer, so his name was somewhat familiar. But Diego Costa was the unanimous choice for the starting No. 9 role for Chelsea. And with Romelu Lukaku’s reported return gathering pace, what was the reasoning behind signing Batshuayi?

During the 2015/16 campaign, Batshuayi was one of the more prolific strikers in Europe. He scored 17 goals as Marseille finished a disappointing 13th in Ligue 1. Despite the disaster season for his club, Batshuayi put his goal-scoring talent on the map. Though only appearing from the substitute’s bench in Euro 2016, the Belgian international nabbed a goal in a 4-0 win over Hungary.

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Clubs like West Ham and Crystal Palace were keen to acquire his services. They even offered slightly more than the £32 million Chelsea eventually paid to sign him.

Michy Batshuayi drew comparisons to Blues’ legend Didier Drogba for his physical style of play. This provoked a keen sense of intrigue from the Chelsea faithful. What could their new signing bring to the club?

Batshuayi’s time at Chelsea started off well. His debut came in the 2-1 win over West Ham, where he played a part in Costa’s late winner. The following week he tapped home an equalizer as Chelsea beat Watford. He scored twice in his first start in the League Cup.

‘Batman’ was making use of any playing time he received to leave an impression on manager Antonio Conte. Unfortunately, it has been downhill ever since for the young striker.

Since his impressive and exciting introduction, Batshuayi has started just four games for Chelsea. All of these were in cup competitions. He has found the back of the net twice in these contests, but his lack of starts in the Premier League overshadows everything else.

Antonio Conte does not trust him to do the job required. The best example of this came during Costa’s reported fall-out with his manager in January. Costa missed the trip to Leicester, seemingly opening the door for the young Belgian.

Instead of opting for the similarly physical forward in Batshuayi, Conte went with a false-nine approach. Eden Hazard, Pedro and Willian rotated between the three attacking positions. Chelsea ran out comfortable 3-0 winners that day. Yet there was a hint of disappointment over Batshuayi’s limited appearance.

The 23-year-old has demonstrated his talent in the minutes he has played, but he must be frustrated with his current situation. The lack of European fixtures does not help matters. Conte makes few changes to his first team due to the empty midweek schedule. This leaves open the chance Batshuayi will see more first-team football next year.

Perhaps the coaching staff has reassured him of his role within the squad. More games usually mean more chances for the fringe players. Or it could simply be that Conte, having seen Batshuayi in training every day, does not believe in his ability. In this case, a swift departure may already be set for when the transfer window re-opens.

Whatever the reason for Batshuayi’s sporadic involvement, it has led to a talented player being left on the bench. Chelsea’s schedule becomes heavier in the remaining months. The Blues have games in hand versus Southampton and Watford, which they will play mid-week.

Next: Kurt Zouma will discuss his Chelsea future during the summer

Batshuayi may get his opportunity during the run-in. But judging by his year so far, don’t count on it.