Chelsea have recently announced the £40 million signing of AS Monaco midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko.
The French international enjoyed a very successful season at Stade Louis II last term, as Monaco were crowned champions of Ligue 1 and reached the Champions League semi-finals, where they were beaten by Italian champions Juventus.
Bakayoko joins a Chelsea side who took the Premier League by storm last season. Antonio Conte’s side won 30 out of 38 games as they finished as champions, in what was the Italian’s first season in English football. The Blues also reached the FA Cup final but were defeated 2-1 by London rivals Arsenal on the night.
Chelsea’s new boy seems to be a great signing for Conte, as his side look to defend their Premier League title next season, but how will Bakayoko fit into his 3-4-3 system, if at all?
Bakayoko’s style of play
Bakayoko is a midfielder who can also play as a defensive midfielder, giving Chelsea plenty of options in the middle of the park. He is seen to be a box-to-box midfielder, with his dribbling ability and work rate second to none. At 6 ft 1, he is a great presence in the air, and a very strong tackler, equipping him with the qualities of the ‘ideal’ midfielder.
Partnership with N’Golo Kante
Bakayoko will inevitably play along side French compatriot N’Golo Kante in the heart of the Chelsea midfield. These two both share very similar qualities as they are very intelligent footballers, and are able to read the game very well. They both had very good passing stats last season, with their accuracy percentage being in the high 80s.
Where they contrast is in their defensive output. Kante was the predominant defensive midfielder for Chelsea last season, while Matic played in a slightly more attacking role. Kante’s defensive stats were higher than Bakayoko’s last season, but Bakayoko played a similar role in his partnership with Fabinho at Monaco.
This allows Kante to protect the back line more, while Bakayoko offers his services in attack. Now this will probably vary depending on the match situation, as both players are very capable of doing both.
What he has to offer
Bakayoko is a very imposing player, with a great ability to stifle any opposition attacks. He will solidify the Chelsea midfield and along with Kante, will prove to be very hard to get past. This means that Chelsea will be able to focus more on their attacking flair, and this will loosen the strain on the defence.
Change of system?
Plenty of reports have even suggested that the arrival of both Bakayoko and Antonio Rudiger could force Conte’s hand into changing his system.
Despite the success of the 3-4-3 last season, 4-2-4 is a system that the Italian has also been keen to implement at the Bridge.
It’s a system that worked brilliantly for him in Italy and the midfield pivot of Bakayoko and Kante could provide the perfect building block for him to do the same in the Premier League.
