These 2 Chelsea stars must leave in January for their own good

Michy Batshuayi

When Belgian international Michy Batshuayi didn’t come in for the suspended Diego Costa against Bournemouth on Boxing Day, you sensed that his Chelsea future was already uncertain.

The 23-year-old was all set to replace the Spaniard, who had picked up a fifth yellow card in the preceding game at Crystal Palace, against Eddie Howe’s Cherries, yet Chelsea boss Conte plumped for Pedro to lead the line instead.

And, when Costa didn’t travel with the squad for the trip to Leicester at the weekend, Pedro was once again preferred to Batshuayi, who must wonder what he needs to do to get a Premier League start, especially given he scored and got an assist in the FA Cup win over Peterborough the weekend before.

Nonetheless, the young forward is clearly not first choice at Stamford Bridge, and it doesn’t appear that Conte has enormous faith in the striker, as he has already been linked with a move away from the club despite only moving there in the summer.

Even if Costa does end up leaving the club this month, it’s still unlikely that Batshuayi will play regular first team football, so a spell away from Stamford Bridge may be what he needs in the second half of the season.