Michy Batshuayi’s debut season in the Premier League was probably not how the Belgian dreamed it would be, as the striker struggled for game time following his arrival from Marseille and had to be content playing second-fiddle to Diego Costa.
The youngster shone towards the back-end of the campaign, scoring the decisive goal against West Brom that sealed Chelsea’s status as champions, but numerous transfer stories emerged to suggest he could move on less than 12 months after his arrival.
Chelsea’s struggle to find a replacement for Costa, who was informed by Antonio Conte that he’s surplus to requirements, may have forced the Blues’ hands with Batshuayi as losing the Belgian striker before they even managed to replace Costa would have been a huge blow.
Conte’s side have since managed to land the signature of Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid, with the Spaniard set to join-up with his new team-mates on tour this week, but Batshuayi’s performance in the 3-0 victory over Arsenal in Beijing shows he can still be a crucial asset next season.
The depth of Chelsea’s squad will be tested by their return to the Champions League and Batshuayi can expect to get more minutes through rotation, giving him the chance to make a mark in the first-team and battle for further opportunities.
It’s also significant due to Morata’s record in front of goal, as the Spaniard has struggled to hit the sort of numbers that Chelsea will be looking for in recent years. However, set to be the main man, the Blues will hope that situation changes.
Batshuayi presents a quality alternative to Antonio Conte though and his battle for first-team football with Morata could bring the best out of both young players, helping the pair develop and potentially leading to a partnership later down the line.
Belgian ace Batshuayi will have further chance of making an impression on pre-season in the upcoming clashes with Inter Milan and Bayern Munich, as Morata will be playing catch-up with his fitness and may need a few games to get going properly.
Having scored a stunning goal against Arsenal, Batshuayi will be confident of continuing to make an impression over the coming weeks and it could give Conte a selection headache- which is never a bad thing for a football manager.