Chelsea and Michy Batshuayi are meant for each other, even if not right now

Michy Batshuayi followed up his debut brace with another goal in his second Borussia Dortmund start. He has not forgotten about his parent club, and Chelsea should keep a place for him on the bench and in their hearts.

Michy Batshuayi raced away as the Signal Iduna Park erupted in celebration. A somersault and a backflip later, he had fulfilled the promise he made to reporters before the game. The Belgian had not just taken Pierre-Emerick Aubayemang’s place in the lineup and replaced his goals. He stole his celebration, too. Just like he said he would.

Since moving to Borussia Dortmund on loan, Batshuayi has not put a foot wrong. The fans love him and he loves playing for them. More importantly, he has the affection of a manager who has immediately made him the focal point of the Dortmund attack.

For whatever reason – and indeed, we may never know why – Batshuayi’s Chelsea career never took off under Antonio Conte. After twiddling his thumbs on the Chelsea bench for a season and a half, the Belgian striker was loaned out in January. Regular game time leading up to the World Cup in the summer is exactly what Batshuayi needs. And he grabbed his chance with both hands, scoring thrice and assisting on another in his two starts.

But what about the ones he left behind? What about Chelsea? Despite rumors Dortmund have an option to buy Batshuayi, it will not be bye-bye Batshuayi in the summer. At least it shouldn’t be. If anyone deserves a proper chance to prove himself at Chelsea, it’s him.

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With Conte looking increasingly likely to leave, the new man could use a striker who can “only score goals.” Hell, Chelsea could use a striker like that right now.

For his part, Batshuayi has been tracking his parent club’s progress – or lack of it – from afar. When Chelsea shipped three goals to Bournemouth, he tweeted three ‘sad-face with a single tear’ emojis. Then he tweeted four of those when Watford put four past the Blues at Vicarage Road. It was classic Batshuayi: subtly trolling Chelsea while letting us know how sad he is when Chelsea lose.

If I were to put on my tinfoil hat and dig deeper, I could point out it’s a clever reference to the “I cri everytiem” meme. Or maybe I could put the hat away and just be happy he’s having a great time scoring goals in Germany. He even made it into EA Sports’ Team of the Week, when all he could do at Chelsea was argue with them about his ratings.

Batshuayi’s loan may not be in Chelsea’s best interests in the short term, but it was the best option for all parties at this stage. He gets game time, and Conte gets a striker he won’t hesitate to use. But if Olivier Giroud finds himself occupying Batshuayi’s spot on the bench while Hazard toils as a false-nine, Stamford Bridge will erupt in riots. Especially if Batshuayi keeps banging them in. And we should hope he does.

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When Batshuayi returns to Chelsea, hopefully, he will be loved for what he is – a superb finisher – rather than disparaged for what he is not. If I were to emulate Conte and send a text to Batshuayi right now, it would just be: “Hi, Michy. Don’t forget us just yet. See you next season.”