Reigning Champions Chelsea have reinforced their preparations for retaining the title in the 2017/18 season by signing £40 million Tiemoue Bakayoko from AS Monaco, who becomes the club’s second most expensive player. The contract has been signed on a 5-year deal at Stamford Bridge.
Tiemoue Bakayoko had this to say about switching to Chelsea:
“I have grown up watching Chelsea. Signing was the natural thing for me because it is a club I loved very much in my childhood.
“I am now looking forward to evolving under this fantastic coach (Antonio Conte) and alongside so many great team-mates.”
Fantasy Premier League Potential
Bakayoko has made excellent progress at the young age of 22, which not only caught the attention of Chelsea but other top-flight teams such as Manchester United and Inter Milan. In the 2016/17 season he showed his talent in the AS Monaco first XI, making 37 appearances in the league and cup (30 starts), while also making 10 starting appearances in the Champions League.
Primarily a defensive/holding midfielder, his key attributes are marking, interceptions and aerial duels. At 6ft 1in his physical presence in the league can be a game changer, however he will need to adapt to the English style of play. Even as a defensive minded player, he still managed to score a few goals for Monaco last season with 3 goals and 1 assist. However, Bakayoko is known to make a foul or two, which he may need to improve on.
Bakayoko will need to fight for his spot within the Chelsea side, with obvious competition coming from N’golo Kante and Cesc Fabregas for starting places. However, his chances may improve with the doubt over Nemanja Matic’s future, with rumours of him switching to Manchester United still doing the rounds.
For Fantasy Premier League, Bakayoko may not be a choice for many managers as a defensive midfielder, unless scoring a lot of goals or assists, will not gather too many points. At 5.0m he may provide an option for the bench, but most likely a Chelsea trio will be used elsewhere such as Alonso, Hazard and Courtois.
Chelsea’s opening fixtures are as follows; Burnley (A), Tottenham (H), Everton (A), Leicester (H) and Arsenal (A).
If you have enjoyed this early view of the fantasy potential of those moving teams this transfer window, be sure to check the others here.
Written by James Milburn (@jamesmilburn95)
