The Deal That Eventually Didn’t Happen-
The Blues boss Antonio Conte was frustrated at the few arrivals at the club during this transfer window this summer and was keen on keeping some of his players, he once wanted to let go. The latest player who had been linked back then with a move away from Stamford Bridge was forward Michy Batshuayi. The striker was reportedly ready to move to Newcastle United to play under Rafael Benitez, but Chelsea blocked the deal from taking place at the last instant.
Batshuayi did not have an extremely fruitful season with the Blues despite winning the league as he was mainly named on the bench through most of the campaign and played second fiddle to Chelsea top-scorer Diego Costa.
Batshuayi was purchased for £32m from Marseille but had a mixed season with the London outfit. He scored 5 goals in just 236 minutes of Premier League action, which has equaled a rate of a goal every 47 minutes.
However, this season, with Costa wanting to leave the club, Batshuayi was looking to get more game-time at Chelsea. But with the arrival of Alvaro Morata, the Belgian could see himself on the bench on most occasions again this time around.
The 23 year old forward therefore was linked with a move to Newcastle United on loan which could see him improve his game at the Magpies but recent reports claim that Conte does not want to lose Batshuayi this term.
After losing 3-2 on their first game of the season against Burnley, Conte has been worried about the strength of his squad, but a 2-1 victory over local rivals Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley eased the pressure on the Italian manager and since then his team did recover, though they are still trailing Manchester City by quite a margin.
Newcastle eventually were forced to look at other alternatives, with the deal for Batshuayi not taking place. The club entered the Premier League this season and has had a bad start losing their first two games without scoring a goal in either of them.
What they needed were goals once Diego Costa decided to leave and Batshuayi did provide them with that at some crucial times, at the start of the new campaign.
The Belgian international has managed to score seven goals this term in all competitions, which has given his team the right kind of boost, at times when they really needed it, helping them secure some crucial points.
He has tried his best to fill the shoes of the Brazilian born striker, who returned once again to former club Atletico Madrid, after messing things up with Conte.
Though there is still a long way to go in the current campaign, the attacker can surely play a key role in helping the Italian coach and his team secure some silverware, if things work out for them, as per their plan.
The player has lived up to expectations so far and only time will tell where he goes from here on, as the west Londoners look to defend their league title.
