Chelsea flop quickly became their biggest liability since Bakayoko

If Chelsea’s draw against Arsenal showed them at their best, the last week of results showed them at their worst.

Enzo Maresca’s side were just six points behind the Premier League leaders after their game against them, but a defeat against Leeds United and a draw against Bournemouth now sees them eight points behind and in fifth place.

It’s been a frustrating week for the Blues and one that has shown that, for all their talent, they are still vulnerable and have been tied for more than a few weeks.

In fact, one of those weak links could be Chelsea’s biggest liability since Tiémoué Bakayoko.

Tiémoué Bakayoko’s career at Chelsea

In the 16/17 season, AS Moncao shocked the world by mounting a surprising and successful title run, the first to end in glory in over a decade.

This team was full of incredible players who would go on to have brilliant careers, like Kylian Mbappé, Bernardo Silva and Fabinho.

However, instead of signing any of them, Chelsea opted to spend £40 million on Bakayoko, who, to be fair to the club, looked like a star in the making at the time.

Unfortunately, once he arrived in England, it was clear that he was not the same at all.

The Frenchman made 43 appearances during the 17/18 season, but very rarely, if ever, looked convincing, whether in or out of possession.

The midfielder’s most notable performance in Blue also proved to be his worst when, against Watford in February 2018, he was sent off after just 30 minutes of play.

All in all, while once a hugely promising midfielder, Bakayoko is now known as a failure in England.

After numerous loans, he joined Lorient in 2023 before joining PAOK last summer and now finds himself without a club at just 31 years old.

Unfortunately for Maresca, he could now have Chelsea’s biggest liability since the Frenchman in his current team.

Chelsea’s biggest handicap since Bakayoko

Now, there are a few players that Chelsea need to sell as soon as possible, but if you were to ask fans who in the first team should start first, most would probably land on Tosin Adarabioyo.

The Blues signed the Englishman for free after his contract with Fulham expired last summer, and while he has been a useful replacement at times, it has become increasingly clear this season that he is a problem.

For example, in the last five games he started, the West Londoners conceded 11 goals and won only two, drawing and losing the other two.

Additionally, while the entire defense should be held responsible for some of these goals, the 28-year-old made some high-profile and almost comical mistakes.

Against Leeds United, for example, Dominic Calvert-Lewin only scored his goal because the Englishman lost control of the ball in the Blues penalty area.

It was a mistake that Chelsea fan and content creator Tom Overend called “completely embarrassing”, and while it may seem harsh, it’s hard to argue with it.

It’s not just the eye test that fails the defender: according to FBref, he ranks in the top 43% of center backs in Europe’s top five leagues for tackles won and in the bottom 4% of dribblers tackled, all for 90.

In other words, he’s not proactive enough on defense, and even when he is, he’s not very effective.

Ultimately, it is clear that Tosin is not good enough to play for Chelsea and, therefore, the club should look to move him away as quickly as possible, for everyone’s sake.

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