The poor fella can’t seem to hit a run of form anywhere
Tiemoue Bakayoko’s move to Chelsea in the summer of 2017 should have been a good fit. With Nemanja Matić moving on to reunite with José Mourinho at Manchester United, Chelsea needed another defensive midfielder and at the time Bakayoko was considered one of the best in the business.
He had just won Ligue 1 with Monaco, forming one half of a formidable midfield partnership with Fabinho, but never managed to replicate that form with Chelsea.
Chelsea got a player who looked unrecognisable from the man who helped Monaco to their first league title since 1999-2000. He seemed to have lost his ability to control and pass a football, which are pretty fundamental skills for a top level footballer.
He was given enough chances to impress at Stamford Bridge, but eventually Chelsea accepted defeat and shipped him out on loan to AC Milan, hoping that a fresh environment would help the Frenchman rediscover some form.
However, he has failed to impress at the San Siro, and his poor form has sparked rumours that he could be set for an early return to Chelsea.
Bakayoko’s agent, Federico Pastorello, has rubbished those rumours, telling Calciomercato that “Bakayoko is happy in Milan and Milan are happy with him”.
“It was known he would need a bit of time, but everyone is convinced he can contribute a lot to their season. All this chatter about a return to Chelsea in January is completely unfounded.”
The player has only made four league appearances for Milan this season, all from the bench, with manager Gennaro Gatusso preferring to use a midfield trio of Lucas Biglia, Franck Kessie and Giacomo Bonaventura.
