Chelsea: Third brace for Batshuayi, first for Kenedy raise transfer profiles
By George Perry
Two Chelsea loanees scored game-winning braces this weekend. Michy Batshuayi continued to teach Chelsea an abject lesson in what they are missing, while Kenedy ignited transfer rumours by opening his account under Rafael Benitez.
Michy Batshuayi’s loan to Borussia Dortmund is shaping up to be either Chelsea’s shrewdest moment or the biggest foul-up since, well, pretty much any striker wearing the number 9. Batshuayi scored his fourth brace of 2018 and his third at Dortmund, putting them in front 2-1 in the 77′ and then ahead for good at 3-2 in the 93′.
Batshuayi’s first double of the year came in Chelsea’s 3-0 FA Cup win over Newcastle. In one of those strange moments of football symmetry, Kenedy scored a brace for Newcastle in a 3-0 win over Southampton on Saturday. They were his first Premier League goals since March 1, 2016.
Kenedy’s goals spurred an overreaction among parts of the media, who used the performance to criticize Antonio Conte’s decision to try Kenedy as a left wing-back rather than a left winger. A few transfer rumours also sprouted up, citing Rafael Benitez’s trust in Kenedy as evidence of Newcastle’s interest in having the Brazilian on a permanent basis. As the Evening Standard pointed out, though, Kenedy’s future depends as much on who is managing Chelsea as Newcastle’s desire and willingness to pay.
Emerson Palmieri, despite being hardly a shadow for the Blues this season, closed the door on Kenedy’s prospects as left wing-back. The Blues have sufficient depth at that position with Palmieri reinforcing Marcos Alonso.
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However, Chelsea are showing continued weakness among their wingers. Pedro is likely on the way out and Eden Hazard’s future changes on a day-to-day basis. Willian is the most certain member of Chelsea’s front-line next season, but he will not impact Kenedy’s return as they play on opposite sides of the pitch. Callum Hudson-Odoi and Charly Musonda will likely be on loan next season, so neither of them will block a Kenedy return.
If Kenedy develops into a Premier League-calibre starting left winger while at Newcastle, Chelsea will feel vindicated in their decision to loan him. Before he returns to Stamford Bridge he would need to overcome whatever clouds still linger over him from the Instagram incident last summer. And he would also need to be consistent with whatever style of play Antonio Conte or his successor wants to implement. The worst case scenario, then, is Chelsea sell him at a Premier League-calibre price, which will be well more than the £6.3 million they paid for him.
Meanwhile, in Germany, Michy Batshuayi should be looking at buying a flat. He has now scored seven goals in league and European competition for Borussia Dortmund in just about six weeks. He scored nine goals in league and European competition for Chelsea in a season and a half. He already has more minutes in those competitions for Dortmund than he amassed at Chelsea.
After Sunday’s win over Eintracht Frankfurt, Dortmund changed their Twitter header image to the Batman symbol. They show Batshuayi the love Chelsea denied him on and off the pitch. He is performing at a similar level, but is now finally being appreciated for it. Dortmund will be willing to pay and Batshuayi should understandably be willing to stay.
Chelsea will have to decide where Batshuayi will fit in among Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud. They will no longer be able to justify (if they ever really could) keeping Batshuayi as the late-game substitute and occassional domestic cup starter. Three starting strikers would give Antonio Conte the depth he needs to play a two-striker formation, such as a true 3-5-2 or 4-2-4. But that would require the sort of stability and assurances the club can hardly provide.
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The board would justify selling Batshuayi by citing the significant profit they will surely make if his form continues. This will be small consolation to the fans, and to Batshuayi, who will see his time at Stamford Bridge as a tantalizing waste of what should have been.