Michy Batshuayi

[Vesper 27,378]

10 minutes ago, NikkiCFC said:

 

if he was as a good a striker as he is a social media master, we never would have needed Werner, or could have sold Tammy to fund Werner lolololol

I like the guy a tonne, but he is so one-dimensional

[Vesper 27,378]

Why Crystal Palace is Michy Batshuayi’s home from home

https://theathletic.com/2065027/2020/09/15/crystal-palace-michy-batshuayi-chelsea-belgium-roy-hodgson/

Michy Batshuayi was in familiar territory over the weekend. A player who has grown used to watching on from the sidelines surveyed Crystal Palace’s opening day victory over Southampton from the discomfort of the substitutes’ bench, the only novelty stemming from a slightly tweaked vantage point. He and his fellow replacements were perched further up Selhurst Park’s main stand as part of the socially distanced “new normal”.

There were a few shuttle runs and stretches down the touchline, but no summons from the management. Batshuayi’s second coming in these parts will have to wait. He will play in the Carabao Cup second round tie at Bournemouth, where Palace’s team will be a strange blend of first-team fringe players in need of minutes and personnel from the development squad. But it is in the Premier League that the Chelsea loanee is most eager to make his mark: perhaps at Old Trafford on Saturday, or maybe at home to Everton the following week. Not, regrettably, against his parent club in early October.

Regardless of when the chance comes, his impatience to play is palpable. “I need to do a good season here,” Batshuayi had offered up to the club’s in-house media team upon signing last week. “I feel like I’m home now. I had a lot of other clubs (interested), but my head is here so everything is right and happy now.”

There had been tentative interest expressed from elsewhere. Leeds United, whose head coach Marcelo Bielsa oversaw one of Batshuayi’s two productive seasons at Marseille, had sounded out the player’s representative, Meissa N’Diaye, about a possible reunion. Those “other clubs” included Newcastle United, West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa, all in the market for a striker this summer. But all, bar West Brom, opted for costly alternatives — Rodrigo at Leeds, Callum Wilson at Newcastle and Ollie Watkins at Villa. His options appeared limited

The fear was he might end up priced out of the market due to Chelsea’s asking price and Batshuayi’s wage demands. As a result, a player who only last month had been adamant he had no interest in another loan move — after stints at Borussia Dortmund, Valencia and Palace yielded only 22 starts — belatedly appreciated his stance might have to shift if he was to feature regularly this season.

Batshuayi and his representatives reached out to Palace and floated the idea of a season-long return. The appeal was obvious. The 26-year-old is familiar with the club, the manager and his team-mates, and knows he fits in and can excel in their colours. He could live at home in a city he loves and easily commute into the Beckenham training ground. There would be no personal upheaval. Palace, juggling options this window as they seek to revitalise Roy Hodgson’s squad, considered the unexpected proposal and decided to be pragmatic. There was a certain logic to pursuing a short-term fix, which would allow them to target other areas for strengthening.

What had only recently appeared an unlikely marriage of convenience suddenly felt more attractive to all parties.

---

For Batshuayi, the alternative was unthinkable. Life in limbo on the periphery at Stamford Bridge, with a career on hold, would jeopardise his chances of featuring for Belgium at next summer’s rearranged European Championships. It was time, yet again, for a change.

He has had his moments at Chelsea since joining for £33.2 million from Marseille back in 2016, most notably scoring the goal that claimed Antonio Conte’s team the title at the end of his first season at the club, but his involvement has invariably been from the fringes. A year ago, on the back of five goals in 11 Premier League games on loan at Palace (at a rate of 0.6 goals per 90 minutes), his parent club had valued him at £40 million: a bullish price to cover their investment and reflect Chelsea’s inability to purchase a replacement given they were under a transfer ban.

Regardless, he still aspired to justify that eye-watering valuation and there was a period last season when he was ahead of Olivier Giroud as Tammy Abraham’s first-choice understudy at Stamford Bridge. He scored the only goal in a 19-minute cameo at Ajax in the Champions League group stage, a belter from distance in a League Cup defeat to Manchester United and, more often than not, was involved off the bench. He felt part of the set-up as Frank Lampard found his feet.

But all that changed with a fitful display on his only league start of term, against United in February, in the absence of the injured Abraham. Isolated and uncomfortable in the system, he laboured to make an impact. Where he struggled, Giroud thrived. The Frenchman seized his opportunity when called upon from the bench. He was aggressive and unsettled a previously resolute United defence to restate his credentials. He would start the next five matches while Abraham recovered from his ankle complaint. Batshuayi managed only another 18 minutes of action, and 224 over the entire league campaign.

Indeed, his star fell so far that he only made the bench twice post-lockdown when teams could name nine substitutes. Timo Werner had already been signed for £53 million in anticipation for the campaign ahead and there was a new one-year contract for Giroud, who had even ousted Abraham to become first-choice throughout the run-in. Batshuayi, too inconsistent and unpredictable for comfort, was the forgotten man. Perhaps his easy-going character, forever laughing and joking, painted him as a figure of fun. Regardless, the message was clear: the Belgian had no future at Chelsea.

By the time he returned to Cobham last month for pre-season, he was into the final 10 months of his £110,000-a-week contract and had clearly been earmarked as one to trim from Chelsea’s bloated squad. The chance of securing a deal quite so opulent at a future employer in this financial climate always felt unlikely, not least given the nomadic nature of his career. When his preparations were further disrupted by a period in quarantine, initially casting him from Roberto Martinez’s Belgium squad, it was clear something had to give.

N’Diaye spoke with Marina Granovskaia and, with no offers of a permanent move on the table, mooted a possible loan. Safe-guarding an asset who could otherwise leave for nothing next summer, the club indicated they would countenance that arrangement if he signed a 12-month extension through to the summer of 2022. By the time Batshuayi was scoring twice against Iceland for Belgium in the Nations League last week, having been restored to the fold for the injured Yannick Carrasco, negotiations were underway on all fronts to kick-start his club career once again.

The talks dragged through the next 48 hours, the hold-up more about the extension than the loan transfer away, before the deal was signed and the immediate move sanctioned.

---

For Palace, the Belgian’s sudden availability solved a problem. A team who had mustered only 31 league goals last season was desperate to find a cutting edge. They had tried to woo Watkins only to see him reunite with his former Brentford manager Dean Smith at Villa Park. Early indications were that Celtic’s Odsonne Edouard would be out of their price range, too. Batshuayi was not an option on a permanent deal, given he would have cost an eight-figure transfer fee and at least a three-year contract on hefty wages, but he felt far more appealing as a loan.

They duly shifted tack overnight, ditching a move for the young Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher — a club can only secure one player on loan from another Premier League side — to pursue the forward. Palace’s talks with Granovskaia were relatively straightforward. The deal contains an option to buy next summer, believed to be set at an optimistic £30 million, but no obligation to make the move permanent. The hope was the player would assimilate seamlessly back at the club, with Palace’s squad virtually identical to that with whom he impressed back in 2019.

“That’ll make things easier for him,” Hodgson tells The Athletic. “We’ve spoken a lot about players like Eberechi Eze coming in from the Championship, and it’s harder for someone coming in totally from the outside. Michy does know most of the players here already.

“There hasn’t been that sort of turnover in our club, and he’ll recognise the guys he left behind a year ago. So he’s very happy to be back. We’re delighted to have him. He’s the type of forward we’ve been looking for to solve a problem we’ve had in terms of that forward area. Someone who will score the goals, take the chances we create. He trained for the first time with us last Friday and, quite frankly, he looked as if he’d never been away.”

Yes, securing a striker for the long term remains an issue. Palace retain an interest in Liverpool’s Rhian Brewster and still aspire to add more to their attacking ranks this summer. Said Benrahma, more of a winger or playmaker, is still expected to leave Brentford and is also being touted to prospective buyers. For now, Batshuayi is a natural finisher whose qualities are established. Hodgson has faith in him and knows what he can offer. Memories are still fresh from the spring of 2019 when the loanee excelled, with Christian Benteke misfiring, Connor Wickham injured and Alexander Sorloth loaned to Ghent.

Frequently flanked by Andros Townsend and Wilfried Zaha in a 4-3-3, he added an extra dimension to Palace’s attacking play with his quick thinking opportunism setting him apart. It was showcased in an FA Cup quarter-final defeat at Watford when he seized upon Adrian Mariappa’s hesitation and converted beyond Heurelho Gomes, and with his clever and very deliberate touch to deflect James McArthur’s long-range shot beyond Kasper Schmeichel in a riotous win at Leicester City. He was a constant menace that evening as the visitors’ 4-1 success curtailed Claude Puel’s coaching career in English football.

His expected goals per 90 minutes over that stint in south London was 0.47, higher than that mustered by any other Palace forward or midfielder to have played at least 500 minutes since the 2015-16 campaign. His eagerness to shoot — albeit sometimes wildly and speculatively — also contrasts with those attackers at the club over that period. He creates opportunities for himself, taking shots early to wrong-foot opponents, and averaged 3.21 attempts per 90 minutes in that four-month loan spell. Those closest to matching that rate, Bakary Sako (2.90) and Benteke (2.73), were some way behind.

There was a blistering finish at Turf Moor, supplied by the overlapping Aaron Wan-Bissaka and drilled beyond Tom Heaton, which illustrated the cleverness of his positioning, seeking out a yard of space in the penalty area. Against Cardiff City and Bournemouth, teams whose defences had gone walkabout, he enjoyed a field day in the campaign’s closing weeks. The hope is he will thrive in Hodgson’s adopted 4-4-1-1, where Zaha is afforded a looser, more fluid role as a second striker drifting wide to the left, from where he scored the winner against Southampton. Batshuayi will occupy defenders in the penalty area and invite Zaha and Eze to provoke havoc around him.

He was, and remains, a hugely popular figure in the dressing-room thanks to his upbeat and charismatic personality. Batshuayi’s relationship with Zaha, a player Palace are keen to keep happy for obvious reasons, is positive on and off the pitch. The coaching staff at Chelsea and Valencia grew frustrated at his shoddy timekeeping, and Conte questioned whether he was tactically cute enough to play as a lone forward in the Italian’s 3-4-3.

He can appear rough around the edges even now, after a 10-year professional career spent at six clubs in five countries. He may forever be the player who picked up the ball as it rebounded out of the net, volleyed it on to the post in celebration and was then poleaxed by the rebound. Given he is 26, he may never be truly polished.

But, fit, focused and on form, he is a handful. In so many ways, his chaotic presence and shoot-on-sight policy are exactly what Palace require. That seat in the stand may only be temporarily occupied. Batshuayi has found his home from home.

[NikkiCFC 7,601]

21 goals for Belgium. One goal every 69 minutes. 

[King Kante 1,324]

Funny reading some of these past comments on ol' Batsh*t. Numerous posters saying he is a good player and you should look at his stats, even though he always failed the eye test. Well here is a stat: 

3rd choice at Palace behind Ayew and Benteke, arguably 4th if you count Zaha. 

1 goal in 872 minutes of football. 

 

 

[Jase 43,479]

5 hours ago, King Kante said:

Funny reading some of these past comments on ol' Batsh*t. Numerous posters saying he is a good player and you should look at his stats, even though he always failed the eye test. Well here is a stat: 

3rd choice at Palace behind Ayew and Benteke, arguably 4th if you count Zaha. 

1 goal in 872 minutes of football. 

There were definitely some wild takes back in 2018.

[Jase 43,479]

 

[ZAPHOD2319 3,896]

1 minute ago, Jason said:

 

With the attacking talent we have, it is not bad advice. He may never see the pitch in a Chelsea kit if he stays.

[King Kante 1,324]

16 minutes ago, ZAPHOD2319 said:

With the attacking talent we have, it is not bad advice. He may never see the pitch in a Chelsea kit if he stays.

He had the option of a sale with a buy to Bruges but thought he was above it so went to Palace instead. Nonsense as the Belgian league is about his right level.

[Jase 43,479]

12 minutes ago, ZAPHOD2319 said:

With the attacking talent we have, it is not bad advice. He may never see the pitch in a Chelsea kit if he stays.

Are you like suggesting he is actually good enough to play for us? 

[Vegetable 790]

15 minutes ago, Jason said:

 

Isn't he taking a step back at Palace already? Good advice, but he needs at least two or three steps back to rebuild.

[Jase 43,479]

7 minutes ago, Vegetable said:

Isn't he taking a step back at Palace already? Good advice, but he needs at least two or three steps back to rebuild.

Regardless, he needs to be sold this summer especially when his contract expires next year!

[ZAPHOD2319 3,896]

21 minutes ago, Jason said:

Are you like suggesting he is actually good enough to play for us? 

If ten people get Covid, Aids, and really bad cases of herpes......maybe he gets some game time.

[King Kante 1,324]

21 minutes ago, Jason said:

Regardless, he needs to be sold this summer especially when his contract expires next year!

Nah, I think he has now joined the Drinky/Baba category and people realising why we call him Batsh*t. No one is going to pay his fee and wages. Best we can hope for is another loan with someone covering his wages. 

Only prayer we have of a sale is that Lukaku goes down injured before the Euros and he somehow becomes their No.1 striker for the tournament and he gets 6+ goals. 

Edited March 10, 2021 by King Kante

[Jase 43,479]

4 minutes ago, King Kante said:

Nah, I think he has now joined the Drinky/Baba category and people realising why we call him Batsh*t. No one is going to pay his fee and wages. Best we can hope for is another loan with someone covering his wages. 

But not if he decides enough is enough? If we go down that loan route again, then it's probably likely that we'll extend his contract, which would just stretch this out even further and it's unnecessary. Marina just needs to admit defeat and take whatever fee we can get for him!

[NikkiCFC 7,601]

Extending his contract last summer was wishful thinking he will come good. 

We should have sold him after Dortmund loan. 

[King Kante 1,324]

5 minutes ago, Jason said:

But not if he decides enough is enough? If we go down that loan route again, then it's probably likely that we'll extend his contract.

Yeah, this is a great idea. But who are we finding that is even going to pay £5m and give him £100k a week wages? Not going to happen in my opinion. I'd be amazed if we even find someone to cover his wages. 

[Jase 43,479]

1 minute ago, NikkiCFC said:

Extending his contract last summer was wishful thinking he will come good. 

We should have sold him after Dortmund loan. 

Was there any interested buyer back then? 

Part of the reason why we aren't able to sell these deadwoods is because Marina puts a high price on them.

[Jase 43,479]

Just now, King Kante said:

Yeah, this is a great idea. But who are we finding that is even going to pay £5m and give him £100k a week wages? Not going to happen in my opinion. I'd be amazed if we even find someone to cover his wages. 

If the price is only 5 million, am sure there are takers somewhere out there. The wages would then be the issue and that's down to the player on whether he wants just to keep wandering around or go to somewhere and settle down for good.