Former blues midfielder Frank Lampard delivered a scathing attack on summer signing Tiemoue Bakayoko, whom he thinks doesn’t offers as much as his price tag suggests.
Lampard, who built his name at the London club, managed to get a reputation as a goal-scoring midfielder during his time at Chelsea. He gave his opinion on why the Frenchman doesn’t justify his £40m transfer fee.
In his weekly column for the Evening Standard, he reiterated the fact that it’s not too early for Bakayoko to understand his role within the Chelsea squad and that he’s been there long enough.
When you sign for Chelsea, you have to understand that you’re never the only player for a position. There is always someone else knocking on the door.
The pressure should be coming from within. Chelsea paid Monaco £40m for him – and that brings expectation. He has to live up to that on the pitch.
The Englishman thinks he doesn’t suit Conte’s approach which hinges on discipline in midfield.
The way Chelsea play means he has to be disciplined in midfield, as Conte wants the wing-backs high up the pitch.
I initially thought he could be compared to Yaya Toure, however, I don’t see that so much now.
Lampard thinks the Frenchman is yet to hold down a position in Conte’s midfield, with his roles varying from time to time in the middle of the park since his move.
His idea is that the former AS Monaco player is a primarily defensive player whose job is to win tackles and give attacking players more freedom up front. He also praised his positional awareness and physical presence.
The Englishman rounded up his criticism saying:
At the moment I am looking at Bakayoko and I’m not sure what kind of midfield player he is.
