Batshuayi had 'a lot of possibilities' before leaving Chelsea for Dortmund

The Belgium international striker admits to having been torn as he considered his options in January, but believes he settled on the right decision

Michy Batshuayi admits to having had “a lot of possibilities” to consider prior to leaving Chelsea for Borussia Dortmund during the January transfer window.

Having seen his game time limited at Stamford Bridge over the first half of the 2017-18 campaign, a winter switch was expected for the Belgium international.

He was, however, forced to wait until deadline day before seeing a deal pushed through, with the intricate pieces of a striking puzzle eventually falling into place.

With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang heading to Arsenal from Dortmund and Olivier Giroud swapping Emirates Stadium for Stamford Bridge, the path was cleared for Batshuayi to depart for Germany.

The 24-year-old admits to being torn when the door was opened, and a little surprised at how quickly a deal was done, but believes he made the right choice, telling Onze Mondial: “I needed game time to find myself.

“There were a lot of possibilities.

“With Dortmund, it was done very quickly. I had a game with Chelsea the next day, I had scored a double in the previous match and everyone was counting on me. Suddenly, while I was walking in the city, I found myself on a plane.

“On the one hand, I was happy to leave because I knew that I was going to benefit from more playing time. On the other, I had just put in some very good performances with Chelsea and the club would have preferred that I stayed.”

Ultimately, Batshuayi was swayed by a long-standing desire to represent Dortmund.

He has only moved to the Bundesliga on a short-term loan, with it still possible that he could become a key figure at Chelsea, but this opportunity was too good to turn down during a testing period in England.

Batshuayi added: “I have always wanted to play in Dortmund. I had already told reporters that.

“If you look, you only have to find statements I made at Standard. I was asked, ‘Which clubs do you want to play for during your career?’. I replied: ‘Marseille and Dortmund’.

“And now, I'm happy because I have been at both clubs - two major institutions in their respective countries and on the international scene.”

Batshuayi has netted eight times in his 12 appearances for Dortmund to date, with that return leaving him just two efforts short of the 10 he managed for Chelsea prior to heading for the exits.