Michy Batshuayi: What happens next?
When Chelsea spent close to £34m on Michy Batshuayi from Marseille, there was a lot of excitement, and for good reason.
At the time, there was an unknown surrounding what formation Antonio Conte would settle on, and the possibility of seeing Michy Batshuayi play off Diego Costa was an exciting one.
However, as the season progressed and the Chelsea manager settled on his 3-4-2-1 formation, with Eden Hazard and Pedro playing behind the Spanish striker, it became very clear that Michy Batshuayi wouldn’t be a regular.
For example, the 23-year-old striker has only played 93 minutes of Premier League football this season, spread out over 16 games.
While he has played in the cups (scoring four goals and getting two assists in five appearances), the young goalscorer needs regular time on the pitch to continue his development, something he isn’t getting at Stamford Bridge currently.
Even if Diego Costa leaves in the summer, there has been little indication that Conte actually likes Batshuayi, as shown when the controversial striker was suspended against Bournemouth, and the Italian manager chose to play Hazard as the striker, with Willian and Pedro behind him.
This means that, realistically, Michy Batshuayi may need to leave if he wants to avoid his career stalling.
A loan to another Premier League club is certainly an option.
Prior to his move to Stamford Bridge, the Belgian striker was a target for Slaven Bilic at West Ham, but it remains to be seen whether Chelsea would want to help out another English team with what is a very talented player.
While it might seem like a step backwards, there is one option that ticks nearly every box for all the parties involved: a return to Marseille.
Earlier this week, we covered a story from France that Bafétimbi Gomis, currently on loan at Batshuayi’s former club from Swansea, was very keen on a prolonged stay at the Ligue 1 club, with the only problem being that he wanted to keep the same wage.
Marseille have been very open about their ambitions since their recent takeover, as demonstrated by their willingness to spend big on Dimitri Payet (and offer him a club record wage), as well as bringing in big reputation players, like Patrice Evra, on short, but expensive contracts.
The problem with Gomis is that, for all the good he has done this season (16 goals in 24 league games), the Swansea loanee is 31 years old, and there are certainly doubts about dedicating a large chunk of the wage budget on someone who realistically will start to decline very soon.
Furthermore, reports from France have suggested Marseille are very keen on making a marquee striker signing this summer, a category the former Saint-Etienne man no longer falls under.
Batshuayi, on the other hand, does.
The 23-year-old pretty much carried his former club on his back last season scoring 23 goals and getting 10 assists in 50 appearances with a weak team around him, one that had lost Dimitri Payet, André-Pierre Gignac, Florian Thauvin, Mario Lemina, Giannelli Imbula and André Ayew all in one go.
He was the star, and while there were still some criticisms about certain aspects of his game, fans certainly enjoyed having him in their team.
With Rudi Garcia now at the helm, and a new owner showing signs of (albeit extravagant) ambition, replacing Gomis with Batshuayi would be an ideal situation for the French side.
Capable of holding up the play if needed and playing others in like Gomis, the Chelsea striker can also take people on, and, with the likes of Dimitri Payet and Florian Thauvin (who has now returned) on the wings around him, could be part of a very exciting, and relatively fluid front three
The addition of Morgan Sanson in midfield and the emergence of Maxime Lopez has also reinvigorated the fans, who had seemingly lost interest in the post-Bielsa era, disillusioned with the amount of first-team exits at the club, and only seeing backups from other teams coming in on loan and older players brought in to replace them.
Of course, any Batshuayi return to Marseille would be a very expensive one, with Chelsea unlikely to want to sell without getting most, if not all, of their money back, and a loan with a view to buy (whether optional or compulsory) would be the likeliest of scenarios in order to spread expenses and allow the club to also focus their summer spending on restructuring a very shaky and old defence.
If Chelsea see a future in the player down the line, they could always negotiate something similar to what Manchester United did with Memphis Depay’s transfer to Lyon in the form of a “first option” clause were someone else to bid for Batshuayi.
It’s just an idea, but as things stand, it makes a lot of sense.
The Premier League side would be rid of a player Conte doesn’t seem to trust to lead his line yet, Marseille get their marquee signing, one they know well, and Michy Batshuayi gets the first-team football he wants rather than sitting on the Stamford Bridge bench.
