Michy Batshuayi’s loan move is complete, according to Sven Claes and Pete O’Rourke. This time he is joining up with Roy Hodgson’s Crystal Palace. The 25-year-old striker will fill the Eagles’ second Premier League loan spot.
Michy Batshuayi Joins Crystal Palace on Loan
The deal came out of nowhere as Chelsea desperately looked to offload the Belgian. He was offered to West Ham as well but he chose to move south of the river instead.
Palace feared they would not meet the deadline but fortunately, the club confirmed a deal sheet was submitted just on time. Both parties were then granted a two-hour extension to finalise the deal.
Batshuayi has had a very strange few years since making his move from Marseille to Chelsea in 2016. The move has had mixed returns, highs and lows for both player and club. Batshuayi scored the goal that clinched the Premier League title for Chelsea in 2016 but, beyond that, has had little impact in a Chelsea shirt, with most of his time coming off the bench.
Last January he was loaned out for the first time and it was a wild success. He scored seven goals in ten games for Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea were hoping to cash in on his good form, but they were unable to find a buyer at the price they wanted. So, again, Michy Batshuayi went on loan; this time Valencia was the destination. However, that was another failed spell, so he returned to Chelsea with another loan on the cards.
He and Chelsea have decided he will spend the next six months at Selhurst Park. Palace are on the fringes of a relegation battle, sitting 15th, four points above Cardiff City but only three points off 13th-placed Brighton & Hove Albion. With games against Fulham, West Ham and Leicester all in February, he may be joining at a vital time.
The Eagles have struggled for goals from their strikers this season. It took until January 2nd for a Palace striker to score when Jordan Ayew netted in their 2-0 win over Wolves. Connor Wickham is the only other striker to score this season. However, his fitness may prove unreliable. The same goes for fellow Belgian Christian Benteke, who is currently returning from injury.
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