Antonio Conte sends reassuring message to Chelsea fans about summer signing
The Chelsea boss confirms Tiemoue Bakayoko is fine after his minor accident on Thursday
Antonio Conte has confirmed that Tiemoue Bakayoko hasn’t suffered any injuries following the Chelsea signing’s minor car accident.
The France international moved to the defending Premier League champions in a £40m deal from Ligue 1 holders AS Monaco in the summer transfer window.
Bakayoko’s arrival allowed Serbia international Nemanja Matic to complete a surprise £40m move to Chelsea’s title rivals Manchester United in August.
The French defensive midfielder has been tasked with filling the void left by Matic after the Serbian won two titles in three seasons at Stamford Bridge.
The 23-year-old made his Chelsea debut in a 2-1 win against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley as Bakayoko impressed with his tenacious display.
While his debut went relatively smoothly, Bakayoko was involved in a car crash just five minutes from Chelsea’s Cobham training ground in Surrey on Thursday.
According to reports in the British media, Bakayoko suffered minor injuries but not serve enough to rule the midfielder out of contention for Premier League action.
Speaking at his pre-match media conference ahead of Chelsea’s clash against Stoke City on Saturday, Conte confirmed that Bakayoko hadn’t suffered any serious issues as a result of the minor accident.
“He is fit, it was a minor accident [on Thursday] and is available,” Conte told his pre-match media conference.
“He is one of the players in our squad. Last season he didn’t play a lot.
“After one year I think he has worked very hard last season to be able to face this league and work with Chelsea. He will have the right chance.”
Bakayoko was one of six signings at Chelsea in the summer and he ended up playing the full 90 minutes in the 4-0 win over Stoke on Saturday.
