---
title: "Cascarino: Loftus-Cheek is as good as Tiemoue Bakayoko"
canonical: "https://readchelsea.com/2018/04/30/cascarino-loftus-cheek-is-as-good-as-tiemoue-bakayoko/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Ashley Colbourn"
section: "Chelsea News"
published: "2018-04-30T09:39:21Z"
modified: "2018-04-30T09:39:21Z"
---

# Cascarino: Loftus-Cheek is as good as Tiemoue Bakayoko

Tony Cascarino believes that Ruben Loftus-Cheek is already as good as £40m signing Tiemoue Bakayoko and will be a Chelsea first-teamer next season.

The former Chelsea striker also compared the midfielder to another former Blue, Michael Ballack while speaking on [TalkSPORT](https://talksport.com/football/tony-cascarino-ruben-loftus-cheek-ballack-and-good-ps40m-bakayoko-180430280924).

Loftus-Cheek has impressed on loan at Crystal Palace this season and got himself on the scoresheet as the Eagles swept aside Leicester City 5-0 on Saturday.

The 22 -year-old has been on the books at Stamford Bridge since the age of eight, and Cascarino feels he has similar attributes to ex-German international Ballack:

> He’s Michael Ballack of the midfield. He can be an attacker, he shields the ball brilliantly, and for Wilf \[Zaha’s\] goal… his tight control in possession – he does it brilliantly. You cannot ignore him.

Loftus-Cheek will be hopeful of being a first-team regular at Chelsea next season, and Cascarino wrote in his [Times](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/sport/marouane-fellaini-makes-team-one-dimensional-sf5b55q8t) column that the Englishman is already better than £40m signing Tiemoue Bakayoko:

> He could be in the Chelsea team now instead of Tiemoue Bakayoko — he is as good as the Frenchman signed for £40 million — and I think he would be a good midfield partner for N’Golo Kante.

Loftus-Cheek made his senior England debut last November and was given the Man of the Match award as they played out a stalemate with Germany.