Chelsea loan army: Keep, loan or sell? Tiemoue Bakayoko (Part 17)
In Part 16 of this series, I broke down Ethan Ampadu’s career at Chelsea and discussed what his future in football looks like. For those who haven’t read the introductory piece to this series, a different player will be the subject of a new article every day. I began with goalkeepers and am currently in the process of working my way up the pitch, with each position group being sorted in order by the way in which they appear on the club’s website.
As I move on with the loan army series, I continue the deep dive into the midfield loanees with Tiemoue Bakayoko. Unfortunately for the midfielder, one word is enough to both sum up Bakayoko’s Chelsea career and give Blues supporters unpleasant flashbacks: Watford. He’s shown a lot of promise throughout his career, but Vicarage Road will always be his graveyard.
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- What’s next for Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher as asking price revealed?
- The next man up for Chelsea: Left back Ian Maatsen
- The next man up for Chelsea: Center forward Mason Burstow
What does Tiemoue Bakayoko’s Chelsea career look like?
Bakayoko has been well traveled throughout his career. The native Parisian started his journey at the age of five with Paris 15sème O. He spent four years here before moving to CA Paris-Charenton and Montrouge FC 92 respectively for two years each. Bakayoko suffered a broken leg early in his career, which kept him out of football for almost an entire year. He then moved to his first massive club when he joined Rennes’ academy at 13. Just a year later, he was denied by the world famous Clairefontaine academy—furthering the trials and tribulations of his young career.
It took Bakayoko five seasons to make the leap into senior football, but once he made his Rennes debut, the rest was history. The Frenchman played in 28 games during his maiden campaign in the senior game. Scoring just one goal out of defensive midfield, the lengthy (1.89 m/6-foot-2) Parisian caught the attention of perennial Ligue 1 powerhouse, Monaco. The historic club moved for the midfielder in 2014.
Bakayoko’s career hardships continued during his first season after he had a run in with manager Leonardo Jardim. Jardim pulled the Frenchman after 32 minutes in his debut, Bakayoko would fail to see the pitch for the next two months due to poor form and an injury. His struggles continued for his second season and he began to doubt his capabilities.
It wasn’t until 2016 that Bakayoko decided to change his lifestyle and the way he approached the game. Enlisting in the help of former Chelsea great Claude Makelele, Bakayoko became a staple in Les Monegasques’ starting XI during the 2016/17 season. He made 51 appearances across all competitions, helping Monaco win Ligue 1 for the first time since 1999/2000. Bakayoko was also named to the Champions League squad of the season.
The young midfielder’s performances in that year’s UCL saw Chelsea make a move for him the following summer. Nemanja Matic was on his way out and Antonio Conte looked to replace him alongside N’Golo Kante as a part of his midfield duo. Bakayoko became one of the Blues’ most expensive signings ever, only falling short of the fee of Fernando Torres. Much like his start to life at Monaco, Bakayoko struggled with being inconsistent at Chelsea. He largely failed to impress—despite his loyal and lovable attitude—but it was his sending off in the first half at Watford that saw supporters turn on him. He never truly recovered and one of the Blues’ most expensive transfers quickly found himself on the loan army list.
Since departing Stamford Bridge, Bakayoko has played for AC Milan (42 games), Monaco (23 appearances in a shortened season) and Napoli (37 matches to date). He’s taken awhile to get off the ground at each location, but largely impressed for all three clubs. The only problem is no club is willing to trigger the buy clause that Chelsea inserts in every loan deal.
This begs the question: what does Chelsea do with Bakayoko this summer?
Verdict: Keep
This is going to be a wildly unpopular opinion, but it’s one of those ‘why not?’ scenarios. The Blues were incredibly quick to write off Bakayoko, which is a bit unfair given his history. The defensive midfielder often struggles during his first season, but the right manager can get him on the path to success. I believe Thomas Tuchel can be that manager. He’s a tactical genius and the prototypical player coach. Chelsea is not going to recoup the money it paid for Bakayoko in 2017, its likely accepted that by now. This is a player who has succeeded in Italy, France and has shown flashes of a very good player in the Premier League.
At this point, keeping Bakayoko would be a low risk, high reward move. Kante isn’t getting any younger. The Blues don’t have a suitable back-up for the Frenchman, the 26-year-old can be that guy and potentially more. I still believe in Bakayoko, do you?
dark. Next. Chelsea loan army: Keep, loan or sell? Ethan Ampadu (Part 16)
Remember to check back with The Pride of London each and every day as I dive into the largely uncharted world of Chelsea’s famous loan army. Part 18’s subject is midfielder Lewis Baker.