Midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko has opened up about his relationship with former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte, with his departure to AC Milan on loan.
The 24 year old defensive midfielder failed to make an sort of impact at Stamford Bridge and was eventually sent away on a temporary basis to the Serie A giants this summer. He will be looking to revive his career in Italy this summer and if that is the case and things work out, he could be back with the west London side next term.
However, Antonio Conte has left the club after just two seasons and has now been replaced by Maurizio Sarri. With that being said, the player decided to talk about his relation with the former Blues’ boss and stated at his unveiling at Milan, “Italian football? This season I worked and learned a lot with Conte, it’s easier for me to adapt to the Italian league now.”
“I am happy with my experience in the Premier, and I have played important matches and I have known characteristics of a championship that will help me in the future. There are many things I have learned, it is not all in the most positive way to do well here.”
The player still has a respect for the manager who brought him to England from Ligue 1 giants Monaco, though he just couldn’t settle into the team. He made 29 appearances for them scoring twice, though he still is quite young and can make a comeback to the side.
Everything now depends on whether his loan move away from London works out well for him or not and this next year will be really decisive for his career. He is not a bad player, but for some reason totally flopped under Conte at the Bridge.
Maybe he just needed more time to settle into the playing style of the top flight of English football and was rushed into the first team, which did not help his cause of playing for them. With that being said, this loan move still gives him a chance of coming back and doing something more.
Hopefully, he is not sold if he does well and given more opportunities to make a return to the first team. One must not forget that the French international spent three seasons with Monaco though never looked the same at the Bridge, when he made the switch.
He also made his international debut back in 2017 and has made a maiden appearance for the French national side. He can still do big things and make a name for himself (for all the right reasons), if his loan spell at the San Siro now goes as per plan. It is a trick situation for him now and hopefully he can shine once again.
Let’s see how he can now perform for Milan, who have signed quite a few big names this summer and are looking to have a serious go at the Serie A title and more. Whether Bakayoko can contribute to that or not, remains to be seen.
