Tiemoue Bakayoko - Beginning to show signs that Chelsea were right to sell Nemanja Matic.

With his recovery from knee surgery in the summer, Tiemoue Bakayoko is showing signs with his performances for Chelsea so far that Antonio Conte was right to sell Nemanja Matic to Manchester United. 

As we know there has been plenty of coverage of Matic's surprising move with plenty of opinion in the written press added to the football Pundits we watch and respect that state it was a mistake for Chelsea to sell him. Many claim that it could turn out to be the signing of the season but let's be realistic here, there is still such a long way to go. Let's not forget, he made it clear that he did not want to sign a new contract which demonstrated a lack of commitment to Chelsea.

Without question Nemanja Matic is class and made such a difference to our midfield when he arrived. At the time he played alongside John Mikel Obi or Ramires with his combination with the latter becoming a real integral part of our midfield. If anything, his ability to defend the midfield area coupled with his ability with the ball at his feet, led to the demise of Mikel's Chelsea career.

However, we have now seen the arrival of N'Golo Kante at Chelsea and he has taken that important role in the heart of our midfield to another level again. The Kante/Matic combination worked for us last season playing a vital role in our success but I believe that the Bakayoko/Kante partnership could be even better still.

Bakayoko looks like an immense athlete who is more than happy to get himself involved in a battle in the middle of the pitch, to get stuck in and use his size. He is massive by the way when he see him in person. It's his physical frame that makes him stand out and he looks to be bigger than Matic but very mobile at the same time.

If you think of our midfield combination under Antonio Conte, at times one of them is allowed to push forward and this is where Bakayoko could really come into his own at Chelsea. We have seen how Nemanja Matic would do it at times to great effect but Bakayoko offers us more than him when he pushes forward and has the ability to score plenty more goals than the Serbian.

Antonio Conte has spoken of Tiemoue Bakayoko and he has noted that he has started to adapt to the Chelsea way. He said:

"Baka now has started to play. I think he is playing very well. 

Don't forget last season he finished the season with surgery in his knee. Now he is in a good physical condition. 

He is starting to adapt himself in our style of football. I am pleased because I think these are good signs for us.” - Source: London Evening Standard.

I expect Tiemoue Bakayoko to start alongside N'Golo Kante at Stoke tomorrow afternoon to give us that additional strength in midfield. In a game such as Stoke away, you really need a physical presence all over the pitch and it will be interesting to see how he copes.

As Antonio Conte has said, the signs are more than promising and in my view, he will turn out to be better in that position that Nemanja Matic.