Bakayoko future in the hands of AC Milan and Chelsea

AC Milan remain in the fight for a Champions League spot in the Serie A, thanks in large part to Chelsea loanee Tiémoué Bakayoko, who’s proven that bad first impressions can be overcome with hard work and just a little bit of faith. While he might not see the significance in becoming a key player for the Rossoneri after the very poor and very public initial verdict delivered by head coach Gennaro Gattuso at the start of the season, he’s living proof hard work on the training ground pays off (even if we allow for the bit of needed luck that was injuries to other midfielders ahead of him in the pecking order).

“I don’t think anything special has changed. I’ve carried on training and working hard, and when you do that things change. I’m happy because I’m playing well with the team.”

“The future? I’m happy here but it’s not my decision, it’s Milan and Chelsea’s. We’ll talk at the end of the season to see what we can do.”

-Tiémoué Bakayoko; Source: MilanNews.it

Bakayoko’s loan deal does have a built-in €35 million buy-option, but whether Milan activate it or not will depend on whether they qualify for the Champions League and, in the meantime, also sort out their generally poor financial situation.

All that’s out of Bakayoko’s hands, so understandably he’s concentrating on things he can control, but he seems happy enough in Italy and will probably be hoping that he can continue that successful relationship. And if not, then Chelsea will be gaining a once again valuable asset, either for a transfer or as a potential boost to the midfield options for next season.