Chelsea and Michy Batshuayi have yet to gel with one another. Maurizio Sarri wants to bring him back into the fold in the same exact role as before.
Michy Batshuayi arrived at Chelsea the same summer as Antonio Conte. He was an odd signing that came out of the blue and it showed in the following two seasons as Conte barely made use of him.
Of course, Batshuayi was always second choice. First he was behind Diego Costa, then Alvaro Morata. At random intervals he would be behind a false nine Eden Hazard. Seeking chances, he went on loan to Borussia Dortmund. There, he put some form together before injury ended his season.
With a new manager in charge of Chelsea, many believed Batshuayi would finally be given his chance. The latest reports have confirmed that, though in the usual click bait style. Headlines are saying Batshuayi is set for a “key role” next season. Of course, after going into the article, it becomes clear that Batshuayi is being promoted from backup to number two.
Yes, that is correct. The “key role” that Batshuayi is finally getting is the exact same role that caused him to leave on loan two months ago. The only difference is the manager on the bench. But that does offer opportunity worth digging into.
Maurizio Sarri has three (perhaps four) striker options that are all perfectly viable for first choice striker. There is a current hierarchy between Morata, Batshuayi, Olivier Giroud, and Tammy Abraham. That hierarchy can quickly shift with all four having a case for any of the four spots.
For now, Morata is first choice. Of course, he is really the only big name striker who has been around this preseason. He has yet to put it all together. With rumors of a move away being consistent, Morata may just take himself out of the running one way or another.
Giroud and Batshuayi both have arguments to be next in line. Giroud performed admirably last season and at the World Cup, but he does not quite fit the Sarri mold of striker. Still, he would be hard to move on and it is impossible to see him as anything less than a backup striker.
Batshuayi, meanwhile, is nominally being given his old backup role again. That will not be enough for the Belgian who is coming off only a few months of playing time in the last two years. On paper, Batshuayi’s poacher instincts make him a perfect match for Sarri’s style. But he needs to prove it quickly.
Finally, there is Abraham. It is more likely than not that Abraham will have to settle for the third choice striker role if he stays. But his preseason has shown a lot of promise; more so than Morata in fact. If he can start putting some goals in, he might just sneak his way higher up the list.
But for now, the order is Morata-Batshuayi-Giroud-Abraham. Batshuayi returns to Chelsea to be in the exact same chair he was in. And though these latest reports make it appear as though he will “finally” have a bigger role, the truth is that the only change is that he now has a chance to move up in the world.
Batshuayi has been promoted from backup to the starting striker to backup striker. The change is really nonexistent, but it does offer the Belgian a small chance to advance. What he does with that chance is up to him, but he can no longer blame Conte for not picking him. Whatever happens going forward will be entirely on Batshuayi.