Tiemour Bakayoko has spoken out about his past at AC Milan, revealing that Stefano Pioli did not want him and that he doesn’t feel like a part of the Scudetto win.
Bakayoko has had two different spells at Milan. The first one certainly went a lot better than the second, as Gennaro Gattuso made him a key part of the midfield in the 2018-19 season but he returned to Chelsea at the end of it.
He rejoined on a two-year loan spell which came to an end in the summer of 2022 and the Rossoneri management were delighted to get him off the wage bill in the end. Chelsea seemingly felt the same, letting him go on a free transfer to Lorient.
Bakayoko spoke about his past in an interview with L’Equipe and in particular about what happened during his two periods at Milan, with his comments relayed by Calciomercato.com.
Tell us about your move to Chelsea…
“Conte wanted me since my time at Juventus and in any case I wanted to have an experience abroad. We finish fifth, we win the FA Cup, it was a positive year. Then Sarri arrived with Jorginho and didn’t even speak to me. So I knew I had to leave.”
And your first spell at Milan…
“There I showed my football for the first time.”
A move to Monaco followed…
“A sh** season, due to Covid.”
Then you went back to Milan…
“They were courting me. The club wanted me, not Pioli. The first year I play a little, I gave my contribution but the title doesn’t feel totally mine.
“At the end of the season I’m torn. I liked the idea of not moving for two seasons, I give myself time until the winter market. And then Pioli tells me that he won’t count on me too much, and it’s a slap in the face for my ego.
“There are alternatives but my salary is too high. I could have made some sacrifices, but not cutting the salary to one third. So I stay, but I don’t play much.
“I would have preferred to stay at home with my children and watch the games on TV. My only regret is that I took two-year loans.”
You worked with Gattuso…
“I have very good memories of Rino Gattuso who I met at Milan and Napoli, even though we almost came to blows. He pushed us to always give our best, his speeches transcended us.
“He is an affectionate person, always available, even off the pitch. Pioli is an excellent coach on a technical and tactical level. But I have a little resentment about certain things. At a certain point I deserved to play more, and he even admitted it.”
