Chelsea's next manager should not write off Tiemoue Bakayoko - here's why

Last season, AS Monaco won their first Ligue 1 title after 17 years by finishing above Paris Saint-Germain with an eight-point differential. Also, they managed an impressive feat in the UEFA Champions League, having reached the semi-final stage before being thwarted by runners-up Juventus.

Leonardo Jardim's squad was mostly composed of young, inexperienced players, and this fact gives extra weight to their success. Given their finances in comparison to big rivals, they were unable to retain most of their young talents - so Kylian Mbappé, Benjamin Mendy, Bernardo Silva and Tiemoué Bakayoko all left for pastures new.

Chelsea's French connection

In the past, Chelsea have enjoyed some excellent experiences with players acquired from Ligue 1. Florent Malouda, Michael Essien and in particular, Didier Drogba, have all left an indelible mark in west London after playing for the Blues.

Bakayoko was touted as Nemanja Matić's replacement - the Serbian joined Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford for £40m - whilst the 22-year-old became one of Chelsea's most expensive signings in the process.

This price-tag certainly added additional pressure on the Frenchman's back and also drew comparisons to Manchester City's Yaya Touré given his playing style and physical attributes.

A promising start, frustrating middle, encouraging finish

Given his knee injury prior to signing, he missed all of the club's pre-season matches as well as their first league fixture - a 3-2 defeat by Burnley at Stamford Bridge. He made his debut against Tottenham in late August, as part of a midfield trio alongside David Luiz and compatriot N'Golo Kanté.

His stint at Chelsea started well initially, though things started to go downhill quickly - not just for himself but the team collectively. After poor results, bad relations between Antonio Conte and the board were even more pronounced. All of these issues have also affected Bakayoko, with his poor displays finding himself under an increasing level of scrutiny from supporters.

The light at the end of the tunnel appeared during their last few matches. Last weekend, Chelsea beat Liverpool to keep their top four aspirations alive. Bakayoko excelled here, suggesting that he has finally regained his confidence and is showing exactly why they opted to part with £40m for his services last summer.

The most important thing for him going forward, is to continue performing well and remain consistent - Chelsea need him at his best, not least in the FA Cup final against Manchester United. There's still plenty to do ahead of him but it's important not to forget the fact that it's still his first campaign in England, so he'll also need some time to settle too.

With a new manager and quality preparations in place for the new campaign, there's no reason why he cannot form a very dynamic duo alongside N'Golo Kanté.