CHELSEA STRIKER MICHY Batshuayi has joined Crystal Palace on loan for the rest of the season.
Tottenham had been linked with a deadline-day move for the Belgium international after talks over a switch to Monaco earlier in the transfer window collapsed.
However, with Chelsea seemingly reluctant to do business with a top-six rival in the Premier League, Palace have stolen in to boost their aims of pulling away from relegation danger.
West Ham, Everton and Real Betis were also reported to be keen on the 25-year-old’s services.
Batshuayi joined Chelsea for £33million from Marseille two and a half years ago and scored the goal that sealed the title for Antonio Conte’s Blues in 2016-17.
But he spent the majority of that campaign as a substitute and joined Borussia Dortmund on loan last January, but injuries curtailed an impressive return of seven goals in 10 Bundesliga appearances.
Current Chelsea head coach Maurizio Sarri deemed Batshuayi surplus to requirements and a temporary spell at Valencia proved less successful than his Dortmund sojourn.
His time at Mestalla yielded a solitary La Liga goal in 15 outings – 11 from the bench – and persuaded Los Che to curtail a season-long agreement.
Palace manager Roy Hodgson had already bolstered his attacking options this month by re-signing Bakary Sako from West Brom on a short-term deal.
Fellow forward Conor Wickham recently returned to fitness, while Batshuayi joins international colleague Christian Benteke at Selhurst Park.
Simon Zebo joins Gavan and Murray for a special live recording of the podcast in Dublin’s Liberty Hall Theatre to preview Ireland’s Six Nations opener against England:
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2 La Ligas in a decade that sound like the best team of the decade?
To be fair 4 champions leagues in the last 5 years. As horrible a club like Real Madrid are in how their fans repeatedly boo their own players, treat their managers and truly believe they are above normal footballing rules as is standard across the board just because they are Real Madrid they are the best team of the last decade but Pepe is entitled to his opinion…maybe his view is biased with his Barca links as Mick McCarthy maybe be biased in how he views Gary Breen as one of the best Irish players that has ever walked the planet :-)
@Patrick McHugh: we all dream of a team of Gary breens a team of Gary Breens a team of Gary Breens
@Patrick McHugh: Guardiola is trolling of course. Barca have a superior league record recently but Real is also the first team to reach 4500 points in La Liga … the fans do boo players and it’s a shock for some to witness it but it only happens when they reckon the player isn’t giving a 100% effort , or is putting himself above the club . There are no sacred cows . And the results speak for themselves as does the fact that most players dream of playing for them … don’t write them off just yet in CL either . Ajax is the next rival up , a lot of injuries are clearing up and the fitness levels are back to where they should be after Lopeteguis departure .. it’s unlikely they’ll do a comeback in La Liga but the CL is still a strong option and let’s see what happens in Copa del Rey tonight
@Limón Madrugada: Visca Girona!!
@Karlos McGrath: let’s see what happens , won’t be an easy game but Real seem to have found their scoring boots at last . Hala Madrid !
@Limón Madrugada: To be fair to pep, he clearly thinks that winning the league consistently over the last ten years is a bigger feat than the CL.
And in that regard, Barca have dominated.
@Margarita Huanca: he clearly doesn’t because he signed for Bayern to win the CL for them , ultimately they didn’t need him to win their domestic league … similarly he signed for Man City who won leagues without him but are still way off a CL ..
@Limón Madrugada: True lad, but he did specify the domestic league when making this statement.
And to be honest, I think he has a point.
@Limón Madrugada: found this, didn’t think the all time record was that even https://www.goal.com/en/news/real-madrid-barcelona-clasico-record-head-to-head/hxdm74dgfby81w9bsiejduy05
@Dave O Keeffe: who did you expect to be further ahead ??
@Margarita Huanca: no he did not , he said ‘every year they win , the leagues , the cups’ so why do 4 of the last 5 CL not count ?
It’s a league ( of sorts) and a CUP … not to mention Real did the treble two years ago … and have been World club champions meanwhile too .. Guardiola is deliberately omitting Real Madrid , which in the end is a backhanded compliment … he’s a bitter and resentful man sometimes beneath his superficial saintly image
@Limón Madrugada: thought Real would be ahead by a good bit