Bertrand Traore speaks out on leaving Chelsea for Lyon: 'It is time for me to be a key player for my team'

Traore wanted to leave the club to protect his development

Traore has decided to leave Chelsea

Bertrand Traore has spoken out about his departure from Chelsea, admitting that he knew he would not have a future at Stamford Bridge even if had decided to stay.

The Burkinabe striker has recently signed a five-year contract with Lyon in a £8.8m move.

The 21-year-old striker has decided to prove himself in Lyon, where a striker position may soon be vacated by Arsenal’s transfer target Alexandre Lacazette.

"It was time. Considering my age and for my development, it was time for me to leave the club,” he told the Evening Standard.

"I could have stayed at Chelsea and played a few minutes in every game, fighting every day for a spot, knowing that I'll never get a spot, I trained at the club, I did everything.

"Two seasons ago, I challenged the starters but we all know what happened last year. I was there during pre-season and then I was sent out on loan.

"So this year, I did not want to re-live the same scenario. It was time for me to find a stable club where I could play first-team football, where I could be one of the key players in the team.”

Chelsea have an infamously poor record of supporting young players in their development.

Most of the youths promoted from the club’s academy join the large loan contingent, which stood at 36 players last season, and never get a chance to break into the first-team at Stamford Bridge.

Traore has thrived on loan in the Netherlands (Getty)

Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku are two of the most prominent examples of young players failing to break into the first-team before being moved on.

Traore, an Auxerre’s academy product who joined the Blues in 2013, was not willing to follow a similar path after making just 12 appearances in three years for Chelsea, and spending last two seasons on loan in the Dutch league.