Just in: Tuchel blocks summer exit for forgotten Chelsea midfield star
According to transfer news from Mirror, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has blocked an exit for Tiemoue Bakayoko.
A proposed loan deal to AC Milan is now on the rocks as Tuchel wants to give the French midfielder a chance in the squad.
Bakayoko burst onto the scene at AS Monaco in 2016/17. His impressive showings prompted Chelsea to splash a decent £40m on him in 2017. Despite having a number of opportunities, the Frenchman failed to impress and struggled to assert himself under Antonio Conte in his debut season.
It got so bad to the point that every time he stepped on the field, he committed an error that would end up costing the side. He has since been sent out on temporary spells thrice. First, he went to AC Milan in 2018/19, then returned to Monaco for 2019/20 and finally he spent the last season at Napoli.
Even this season, he was expected to go out on loan or permanently. AC Milan had proposed another loan deal for him. But it seems that Tuchel is not going to allow an exit for Bakayoko (h/t Mirror). The German manager wants to reintegrate him into the side and give him another chance.
A dominant midfielder for Monaco, much was expected of Bakayoko when he joined Chelsea. While he may have disappointed earlier, he is now in better form.
Tuchel keeping him in the side might not be an entirely bad idea. The club usually plays 50-60 games nowadays and it’s always handy to have that extra player or two. Perhaps Tuchel can get the best out of the French midfielder next season.