5 reasons why Chelsea were wrong to allow Batshuayi to move on loan

#2 He’s young and could improve further

At just 24, Batshuayi has plenty of time to develop

While Batshuayi is in the seventh season of his professional career and is closing in on 200 professional league games and 300 in all competitions, he’s still very young at just 24 years old. It’s true that the likes of Harry Kane and Romelu Lukaku – similarly aged players – are leaps and bounds ahead of him right now, but that doesn’t mean that it’s worth writing the Belgian off just yet.

Look at Jamie Vardy, for instance. At the age of 31 he’s still managed to hit 15 goals in all competitions this season, and at the same age as Batshuayi is now, he wasn’t even playing fully professional football, as he was still starring for Conference North side Halifax Town. It’s clearly possible to make it to the top at a slightly later age, and that means that Batshuayi has a lot of time on his hands.

By sending him on loan to Dortmund, the likelihood is that Chelsea are simply writing Batshuayi off as a potentially top class striker. And that’s a massive mistake. They can’t base their opinion of the Belgian on a handful of appearances for the club, largely as a substitute. This loan move isn’t like Tammy Abraham’s to Swansea – a young player gaining experience – as it’s likely to lead to a permanent move. Which is crazy for Chelsea as he could well improve and become world-class in the future.