It looks like Chelsea have finally managed to sign Tiemoue Bakayoko after a lot of dilemmas. The French International looks to have arrived in London to complete his medical for the club. Chelsea have reportedly paid somewhere around the region of £40m for Monaco man.
We take a look at what Bakayoko brings to the team and where exactly will he fit in the midfield.
A physical force to reckon with who also has an eye for a forward pass:
The 22-year-old stands at 6 feet 1 inches and is nothing short of a physical presence at the heart of midfield. Last season he won 57 aerial duels for Monaco in the Ligue 1 and made 54 interceptions. And he is one whose physicality will be of enormous use to the reigning Premier League Champions.
Along with a defensive side to his game, Bakayoko also has an eye for a forward pass. He is one who is not shy of venturing forward with every opportunity he gets. The French International has made a staggering 873 passes in the previous season of Ligue 1. And he has also scored 2 goals in the process.
Read: Why are Man City paying £53 million for this player?
Room for improvement:
A major plus for Chelsea in signing Tiemoue Bakayoko is the fact that he is only 22 years old. And there’s a huge room for improvement.
At Chelsea, Bakayoko’s competition will potentially be Nemanja Matic(if he is not sold to Man Utd) and Cesc Fabregas. While Matic is 28 years old, Fabregas has already touched 30. So Bakayoko will have a tremendous advantage over these two players.
A long-term partner to N’Golo Kante:
By signing Bakayoko, Antonio Conte might just have given N’Golo Kante his midfield partner at Chelsea for another 5 years atleast. The midfield general had a wonderful first season at Chelsea after arriving from Leicester City. And now with the arrival of Bakayoko, his International teammate, Kante might just be able to up his game.
With Bakayoko by his side, Kante can easily hold back while his midfield partner moves forward in order to help out the forwards.
