Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi has completed loan his move to Borussia Dortmund. Batshuayi has made 32 league appearances for Chelsea since joining the club from Marseille in July 2016, scoring 7 goals.
The Belgian was expected to team up with his Chelsea teammates last night ahead of our Premier League clash against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge tonight. Antonio Conte, however, said that Batshuayi prepared well for the game, and without Alvaro Morata, that he could have started against Bournemouth.
“He trained well and I prepared the game with him,” said Conte.
“It’s not the best situation to face but we have to. I have Morata injured and I don’t have other options. It’s not been easy to prepare.”
However, it has now been confirmed by the club that Batshuayi has completed a loan move to Borussia Dortmund. Borussen Edition posted a video screenshot on their Twitter account of Batshuayi undergoing a medical at Dortmund earlier in the day.
Batshuayi found very limited game time under Conte, but whenever he got a chance to play, he proved himself by becoming an impact substitute at times.
Morata was always going to be Chelsea’s No.1 striker but since injuries and exhaustion have hampered the Spaniard’s form lately, Conte preferred Eden Hazard over Batshuayi. That was enough to suggest that our gaffer had very little confidence on the Belgian, who was a scoring beast at Marseille and had joined Chelsea with a high reputation.
Yet, Conte overlooked Batshuayi and knowing the World Cup is in the summer, the player had to make a move to play regularly.
Earlier today, Arsenal announced the signing of Gabon international Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Dortmund, paving way for Chelsea to complete the signing of striker Olivier Giroud. Giroud, who came on as a substitute in Arsenal’s 3-1 defeat to Swansea last night, is ideally deemed as a backup to Morata. The French international is highly experienced and has done well for the Gunners since joining from Montpellier.
With Batshuayi gone, will Giroud be a solid and reliable backup to Morata? I think yes because Giroud has been brilliant for Arsenal over the years and is one of the best when it comes to hold-up play. He’s known for making impact appearances as a substitute and that is exactly what we need right now.