Maurizio Sarri starts off his Chelsea tenure with an easy victory as N'Golo Kante, Jorginho and Pedro all got on the scoresheet. Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri doesn't want to turn his new side into Napoli 2.0. ESPN FC's Craig Burley reflects on the first Saturday of Premier League action, including a debut victory for Chelsea's Maurizio Sarri.
Chelsea midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko has joined AC Milan on a season-long deal, with the option to make it permanent next summer.
Chelsea will earn €5 million for the loan with a further €35m due should the Rossoneri exercise their right to complete a permanent transfer in 2019.
Bakayoko joined Chelsea from Monaco for £40m last summer but was deemed surplus to first-team requirements at Stamford Bridge under new head coach Maurizio Sarri, following the arrival of Mateo Kovacic on loan from Real Madrid last week.
Given Milan's option to buy Bakayoko for €35m next summer, if he impresses this season at the San Siro, Chelsea will not ultimately make a substantial loss on a player who was their most expensive ever midfield signing before Jorginho's arrival from Napoli in July.
Good luck at AC Milan, @TimoeB08! ????https://t.co/uGQE8Kz5Jh
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 14, 2018
Bakayoko endured a forgettable first season in England. Hampered by a lack of fitness in the opening months of the campaign, he struggled to adapt to the Premier League as well as the tactical demands of his new coach Antonio Conte.
A much-maligned individual performance in Chelsea's 4-1 defeat against Watford in February saw him booked twice in the opening 30 minutes and booed off by his own supporters, cementing him in the eyes of many as a failed attempt to replace the departed Nemanja Matic.
Bakayoko made 29 Premier League appearances but his underwhelming form could not earn him a place in the France squad for last summer's World Cup, and he had to watch from afar as Les Bleus claimed the trophy for the second time in Russia.
He previously made 87 appearances in Ligue 1, winning the title with Monaco in 2017.
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Source: espn.co.uk