Tiemoue Bakayoko and Kenedy are both rumored to be on the move before the window shuts. Their Chelsea redemption is delayed once more.
Tiemoue Bakayoko and Kenedy have both struggled at Chelsea. For all the promise they came in with and showed in flashes, they have failed to reach their full potential in blue. Preseason was their chance to make an impression. Both did, albeit not in ways they may have necessarily wanted.
With the window still open in Europe and Frank Lampard mostly satisfied with the core of his squad, these two fringe players are now set to move on. Whether permanently or temporarily, their redemption stories at Chelsea are being put on hold.
Bakayoko is set for a move back to his former club Monaco. The deal is alleged to be a loan with a buy option, not unlike his situation in Milan. Few would be too upset to see the Frenchman depart, but there will always be a sense of “what if” about Bakayoko.
Even while at Monaco, Bakayoko struggled to make an impact. Then Claude Makelele joined the French side and was able to help turn Bakayoko into something special. After a title winning season in France, Bakayoko got his move to Chelsea after injury issues kept him out for much of the end of the campaign.
The plan was for him to ease his way into English football but the board sold Nemanja Matic out from under Antonio Conte. Bakayoko, fresh off his injury, was thrust into action and never really lived up to expectations. His time at Milan started poorly and ended poorly, but in the middle it genuinely looked as though he had gotten back to his best.
But simply put, he was terrible this preseason. Despite really being the only defensively inclined midfielder Chelsea has not named N’Golo Kante, it appears he is surplus to requirements. If he were able to replicate his Milan form, he would be a valuable asset to the side. But Lampard does not want to bank on what ifs and Bakayoko is moving out because of it.
Kenedy’s situation is somewhat different. He was a striker in Brazil when he joined Chelsea during the terrible 2015/2016 campaign. Initially, he was pushed onto the wing before being pushed even deeper into a fullback role. He has since been unable to escape that more defensively heavy position as several managers have attempted to use him as a fullback or a wingback.
Attitude issues have been the biggest thing that has cost Kenedy. His time at Watford was a disaster of his own making. He had a chance at Chelsea before some simply stupid social media commentary ostracized him. His initial days at Newcastle seemed promising but, being unable to escape the wingback tag, he began to struggle and fell to the wayside.
Lampard did seem to take a liking to him this preseason, but the emergence of Mason Mount as a “winger” has cut short any involvement expected of the Brazilian. The reports around Kenedy are more muddled than Bakayoko’s, but it appears Sassuolo are keen to bring him in some way.
Both of these players still could redeem themselves at Chelsea. It would be an uphill climb if they stayed but not an impossible one under Lampard. But it appears as though their redemption stories will need to be delayed for now with the loans seeming very likely.