Chelsea wouldn’t have lost too much money from their investment in Tiémoué Bakayoko despite him failing at Stamford Bridge, journalist Paul Brown has told GIVEMESPORT.
The 28-year-old has spent most of his Chelsea career out on loan after struggling to impress in England.
Chelsea news – Tiémoué Bakayoko
Bakayoko signed for Chelsea for a fee of £40m back in 2017, according to Sky Sports.
Since joining the west London club, Bakayoko has been sent out on loan four times, joining Monaco, Napoli, and AC Milan twice.
The French midfielder is currently in his second spell with Milan, but has only played 33 minutes in the league this season, as per FBref.
After signing for £40m at the age of 22, Bakayoko moved to the Premier League with a lot of expectation on his shoulders, but he’s not been given a chance to impress after being sent out on loan at the end of his first season.
If you consider the lack of game time Bakayoko has had at Stamford Bridge, it could go down as one of the worst financial decisions in Chelsea’s recent history, but Brown has suggested that it may not be as bad as first feared.
What has Brown said about Bakayoko?
Brown has suggested that Chelsea would have been able to recoup a lot of the transfer fee by sending him out on loan so often.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: “It depends where you stand on what Chelsea do with loan players. He’s had so many loans that they’ve been able to make quite a lot of money back on him. So, it’s not as if they’ve wasted a huge amount of money on him really.
“Part of Chelsea’s strategy is to buy as much talent as they can and send as much of it out on loan as they can. The rules have changed recently making it harder for clubs to do.”
What’s next for Bakayoko?
Reports in Italy have suggested that AC Milan have an obligation to buy Bakayoko if he plays a certain number of games, which could explain his lack of game time this season.
Bakayoko is out of contract at Chelsea at the end of the campaign, so it’ll be no issue for the Blues that Milan are unwilling to play the midfielder to avoid activating the clause.
Although the lack of minutes over the last few years could be a deterrent for any clubs in the summer, it could be a gamble worth taking for some suitors if he’s available on a free.
