Chelsea Misfit Tiemoue Bakayoko Admits He Is 'Happy' Out on Loan & Hints at Potential Milan Stay
Chelsea outcast Tiemoue Bakayoko has insisted that he is ‘happy’ at Milan and admitted that he could remain at the San Siro beyond his current loan deal.
The Frenchman completed a season-long switch to the Serie A outfit during the summer, with Maurizio Sarri bringing a new regime to Stamford Bridge including the recruitment of further midfield competition in Jorginho from Napoli.
Bakayoko moved in the opposite direction to the Italian top flight and, despite enduring a slow start with his new club, the 24-year-old has now settled well at the San Siro. The midfielder told MilanNews.it, via Football-Italia: “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.”
Bakayoko spent just one season at Stamford Bridge following a high-profile move to west London from Monaco in 2017 before completing his switch to Milan the following summer.
The Frenchman struggled to make an impact for the Blues, making 29 Premier League appearances and scoring twice during his only campaign in a Chelsea shirt under Antonio Conte last term.
Sarri has since completed a significant overhaul of Chelsea’s midfield ranks since arriving in the summer, with Jorginho and on-loan Real Madrid star Mateo Kovacic becoming mainstays alongside N’Golo Kante in the Italian’s preferred trio.
Meanwhile, Bakayoko has gone on to establish himself as an important figure in Milan’s engine room – particularly following the long-term injury sustained by Lucas Biglia.
Bakayoko has gone on to make 14 Serie A appearances so far for his loan club, cementing his place in the holding midfield role in the absence of Argentine counterpart Biglia.