Tiemoue Bakayoko didn’t get along with a Chelsea manager. Antonio Conte signed him for Chelsea in 2017, but he resigned after a year and was replaced by Maurizio Sarri. Bakayoko claims that when Sarri arrived, he brought in another midfielder, Jorginho, from Napoli. Bakayoko felt overlooked by Sarri and that his time at Chelsea was up.
Tiemoue Bakayoko on Maurizio Sarri
Tiemoue Bakayoko has explained why he left Chelsea for good after the 2022-23 season. He was with Chelsea for six years before leaving as a free agent last summer. Chelsea paid about £40 million to sign him from AS Monaco. He showed a lot of potential in his first game against Tottenham Hotspur after being sidelined for a while. He began his career at Stamford Bridge well but then started playing poorly.
When Antonio Conte left, Maurizio Sarri became the manager at Stamford Bridge, but Bakayoko didn’t suit his way of playing. Bakayoko said in an interview with L’Equipe that Sarri didn’t even talk to him.
“I was very reluctant to leave Monaco. I thought I’d say in France and join the best, PSG. But I always wanted to gain experience abroad, so when Chelsea, my favourite club after PSG, came calling, it was hard to turn them down. Antonio Conte really wanted me, and followed me when he was at Juventus. We finished fifth in the league and won the Cup. I take a lot of positives from my season,” Bakayoko said.
“Then Maurizio Sarri arrived with Jorginho, and he didn’t speak to me. I knew I had to leave. How can I describe my experience at Chelsea? Sometimes I sit on my sofa, think about my career and say to myself: ‘What was the problem?’” he added.
Tiemoue Bakayoko: "Maurizio Sarri arrived with Jorginho, and he didn’t speak to me. I knew I had to leave. How can I describe my experience at Chelsea? Sometimes I sit on my sofa, think about my career and say to myself: ‘What was the problem?’"
{L'Equipe} pic.twitter.com/rLrFqbTxvV
— Vince™ (@Blue_Footy) February 20, 2024
When Bakayoko joined Chelsea, people thought he would do well. He played for Monaco, a team that broke Paris Saint-Germain’s hold on Ligue 1 and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League. But he didn’t do as well at Stamford Bridge and is now playing for Lorient in France. His career didn’t go as planned, and Chelsea is responsible for that.
