Michy Batshuayi Joins Valencia on Loan

Michy Batshuayi Loaned to Valencia

New Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri apparently has no space for the Belgian striker this season. Without Batshuayi, the new Blues boss will face the new campaign with only strikers Olivier Giroud and Alvaro Morata at his disposal.

While Giroud really made an impact after joining from Arsenal in January, Morata found life in London difficult. Therefore, loaning out Michy Batshuayi can be seen as a risk of sorts.

Dangerous in Dortmund

Batshuayi made 14 appearances for Die Schwarzgelben, scoring nine goals across all competitions. This includes a brace on his debut against Cologne in February. Meanwhile, his time at Dortmund was cut short via an ankle ligament injury.

The Belgian striker’s main assets are his pace and strength, with his tactical intelligence improving with age.

However, despite his fine play in the Bundesliga, Michy Batshuayi found life at Stamford Bridge much more difficult. In 32 league matches, the striker found the back of the net only seven times.

While not overly-impressive in blue, Batshuayi has found joy on the international stage. He netted eight goals in 19 appearances for his native Belgium so far, including a goal against Tunisia in the 2018 World Cup.

Now age 24, Michy Batshuayi will need to prove himself yet again. He is no longer the teenage prodigy who graced the fields of Standard Liege, but rather a £33 million striker who has consistently underperformed for his parent club.

With Batshuayi’s contract extending until 2021, the Blues will hope he finds life in Spain to be much more fruitful than in London. If not, he will go down as yet another promising youngster who could not break into the Chelsea first-team.