Looking for a consistent striker for next season, Chelsea surprised the footballing world when they pipped Tottenham, West Ham and Crystal Palace to the signing of Michy Batshuayi.
Currently with the Belgium squad at this summer’s Euros, the Marseille striker seemingly jumped at the opportunity to transfer to Stamford Bridge, having turned his nose up at Crystal Palace’s offer the previous day.
While the transfer isn’t official yet, the striker made it clear via his Twitter and Instagram the deal was well on its way, as seems to be the norm these days with players.
Chelsea are reported to have made a bid of €40m for the 22-year-old, but what exactly are they getting for that price?
Firstly, many might be wondering why Roman Abramovich and co. didn’t go for someone like Alexandre Lacazette, a more experienced striker, if they wanted a goalscorer from Ligue 1 so badly?
One of the reasons behind this seems to be Jean-Michel Aulas’ reluctance to sell his star player for less than €50m, while Marseille were desperate to make a big sale due to financial reasons.
Secondly, it’s clear to see which player would be more adapted to the Premier League, which has been looked at in depth by Andrew Gibney for FourFourTwo here.
Now, onto the player himself.
Batshuayi, who arrived at Marseille from Standard Liege two seasons ago as backup for André-Pierre Gignac, has only had one season as a starter for his soon-to-be former club.
His first year with the Ligue 1 side, under none other than Marcelo Bielsa, was a learning curve, mostly coming off the bench as Gignac stole the show, scoring 21 goals in 38 league appearances in his last season in France, while Batshuayi only started six of those 38.
With Gignac running down his contract and emigrating to Mexico with Tigres, Batshuayi was instantly promoted to first-team striker, and he didn’t disappoint.
Making 50 appearances last season, the 22-year-old scored 23 goals and helped his teammates with 10 assists; good numbers for a first season as a starter.
However, despite being the main man, the Belgian striker still managed to frustrate teammates and fans alike throughout the season, with many criticising him for trying too hard, being selfish and lacking consistency.
Strangely enough, traits all found in most young players, and things that could, and probably will, disappear as he gains in maturity.
Moving from Marseille to Chelsea for such a big fee will undoubtedly draw comparisons to Stamford Bridge legend Didier Drogba; something that, funnily enough, Vincent Labrune, Marseille’s director of football, pretty much predicted towards the end of 2015, saying ‘Batshuayi can be our new Drogba’.
Good with the ball in his feet, but equally capable of showing enough strength to hold the ball up to then feed someone else through with a pass, Batshuayi certainly has all the attributes to be a success in the Premier League.
With Antonio Conte, known for his great management skills and intensity when it comes to getting the best out of his players, Batshuayi probably couldn’t have asked for a better manager to get the best out of him.
As Falcao returns to Monaco and Loïc Rémy is rumoured to be on his way out, it wouldn’t be surprising to see both Diego Costa and Michy Batshuayi start alongside each other next season in Conte’s favoured 3-5-2.
While not exactly a big guy, little guy partnership, the two certainly could compliment each other rather nicely, with Diego Costa capable of doing the brunt of the work, and Michy Batshuayi present to find the back of the net.
Then again, if Antonio Conte decides to deploy Eden Hazard in a more central and advanced role, a partnership between the two compatriots could also emerge; one which appears to already be blossoming with their country.
As demonstrated against Hungary for his country in the Euros First Knockout Round by scoring pretty much with his first touch of the game from an Eden Hazard cross, Batshuayi has the intelligence to be in the right place and the right time when needed.
With a better team around him where he isn’t forced to do most of the work to get goalscoring opportunities, as was the case for Marseille, we wouldn’t be surprised if the 22-year-old made an instant impact next season at Stamford Bridge.
Don’t hold us to that, though.
