Bertrand Traore has revealed that he has no regrets about leaving Premier League champions Chelsea this summer and claimed that it was his “best decision”.
The 22-year-old brought his four year spell at Stamford Bridge to an end this summer when he sealed a £9million move to Ligue 1 side Lyon.
The striker only managed to breakthrough into the Chelsea first-team during the 2015-16 campaign where he made a total of 16 appearances and contributed with four goals and one assist.
The Burkino Faso international enjoyed a fine spell on loan to Ajax last season, helping them reach the Europa League final and scoring 13 goals in all competitions.
The youngster has already started to establish himself as a regular starter in his new club, featuring in 13 matches this season and notching up four goals in the process, including the winner against Everton in the Europa league tie at Goodison Park a fortnight ago.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Traore was adamant that he had made for the right decision to leave West London in order to further develop his footballing career.
“Going from Chelsea was the best decision for me. I am enjoying myself, as a young player you can only improve if you are playing every week,” he said.
“I enjoyed my time at Chelsea and when I had opportunities to show what I could do on the pitch, I took them with both hands.
“But there weren’t any guarantee I would play.
“Yes, I would be happy if it was me in the Chelsea first-team playing every weekend, but this is football and you have to take decisions.
“Along with Chelsea, I took the decision to sign for Lyon and I am happy with that.”
OPINION
Despite enjoying vast success during the Roman Abramovich years, young players have rarely been the given the opportunity of shining in the first-team on a regular basis. Traore is amongst a long list of youngster who have decided to depart Stamford Bridge on a permanent basis in order to enjoy more minutes of the pitch with Nathaniel Chalobah and Michael Mancienne clear examples of this. The Blues have a host of promising talents out on loan in order to gain more experience but it is highly unlikely players such as Tammy Abraham and Ruben Loftus-Cheek will be first-team regulars at Chelsea even if they perform well in their respected Premier League clubs this season.