page_title: Tiémoué Bakayoko
section_title: Chelsea
hierarchical_section_title: Tiémoué Bakayoko / Club career / Chelsea
caption_attribution_description: 14.10.17
context_page_description: Tiémoué Bakayoko is a French professional footballer who plays for Chelsea of the English Premier League. He plays as a defensive midfielder, but can adapt to other positions such as a box-to-box midfielder due to his ability to break up play. He is considered to have all-round ability, as well as possessing physical power and athleticism, with France manager Didier Deschamps describing him as "a complete midfielder."
  After suffering a fractured leg as a young player, Bakayoko joined the academy at Rennes at the age of 13. At 14, he was turned down by the Clairfontaine academy. His senior career began at Rennes where he made 24 appearances before moving to Monaco in 2014 for 8 million EUR. In his first two seasons at the club, Bakayoko made 31 Ligue 1 appearances, but was a regular starter in the 2016–17 season, contributing to Monaco's Ligue 1 title win as well as being named in the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League squad of the season. In 2017, he joined Chelsea for £40 million.
  Bakayoko made his first senior international appearance for the France national team in March 2017.
context_section_description: On 15 July 2017, Bakayoko signed for Premier League club Chelsea on a five-year contract for a fee around the margin of £40 million, making him the club's second most expensive signing at the time, after Fernando Torres. He made his Chelsea debut in a 2–1 away win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on 20 August 2017. On 5 February, he was sent off for the first time in his Chelsea career, in a 4–1 loss away to Watford. Bakayoko was given his marching orders for two bookable offences, one on Étienne Capoue and the other on Richarlison, both in the first half.
  Bakayoko failed to impress in his first season. He was criticised for his performances by fans and pundits alike, with games against both Watford, where he was sent off after only 30 minutes, and a 3–0 away defeat by Newcastle United on the last day of the Premier League season being singled out as two of his worst.
  Bakayoko continued his poor form into the 2018–19 season, finding himself culpable for Inter Milan's equaliser in a 1–1 pre-season draw, having lost possession in midfield.
caption: Bakayoko playing for Chelsea in 2017
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