Crystal Palace have completed the season-long loan signing of Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi.
Batshuayi rejoins the club following a successful loan spell in the second half of the 2018-2019 season, in which he scored 5 goals in 11 league appearances, and arrives at a time when Roy Hodgson's side have consistently failed to find the net.
The Belgian international has had a difficult time at Chelsea following his arrival there in July 2016, having struggled to convince a succession of managers of his talent. Despite scoring 9 in 28 appearances in his first season for Chelsea under Antonio Conte, he spent the second half of the next season on loan at Borussia Dortmund, scoring 9 goals in 14 for the German side.
An ankle injury put an end to that loan spell but despite his impressive performances in Germany, his new manager Maurizio Sarri opted to send him out on loan again -- this time to Valencia.
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His spell in Spain's third-largest city was a major disappointment for both the player and the club, as he scored just one goal in 15 appearances for the club. That goal, however, ensured he would becomethe first player to score goals in England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France in the 21st century.
Following that early cancellation of his loan contract at Valencia, Batshuayi joined Palace to form part of Sauce FC, a nickname he gave to Palace over the course of his loan spell.
A return to Chelsea last season proved to be fruitless again, with just a solitary goal in the league adding to the total of 6 he scored in all competitions.
Palace will hope that the striker can return to the kind of form he showed in his previous spell at the club.
"I feel like I’m home now."
— Long-Term Project 🦅 (@FYPFanzine) September 10, 2020
What a lad. pic.twitter.com/6xIidcpiW3
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