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#1 Tiemoue Bakayoko
About a year ago, no one would have guessed that Tiemoue Bakayoko would return to Chelsea. After his transfer to Stamford Bridge, the Frenchman was initially injured and was woeful on his return. He seemed to lack the basics of passing quickly and was extremely sloppy on the ball. It looked as if Bakayoko would be shipped off as soon as the season ended and he would never be seen at Chelsea again.
Well, Bakayoko's initial spell at his loan destination, AC Milan, was rather poor. His form was dire at that juncture. Moreover, the manager publicly criticized Bakayoko and things were not really working out for him in Italy. However, slowly but steadily, he grew into his role. And suddenly, Bakayoko seemed like the player that Chelsea had seen and bought at Monaco.
Getting many Man of the Match awards along the way, Bakayoko became loved at Milan and rumors were running rife that he would be moving permanently to the San Siro. Things, however, took a sharp turn towards the end of the season where Bakayoko was racially abused by some fans and further, he got into a fight with the manager. This meant that Bakayoko was done at Milan and was back at Chelsea.
Now, some Chelsea fans are happy to see him back as many believe he has returned as a different player. But most fans still believe that Bakayoko should be sold to some other club.
This preseason can prove to be career-defining for Bakayoko as it could make or break his Chelsea career. They already have too many midfielders and one can only board that train if one proves their merit. Bakayoko must go all guns blazing this preseason and make sure he gets noticed by the board and the manager, for the right reasons.
