Chelsea’s recruitment department is under the spotlight after it was claimed they passed up the chance to sign French midfield dynamo Aurelien Tchouameni.
In the summer of 2021, then Blues boss Thomas Tuchel wanted a midfielder to bolster a squad which had just won the Champions League.
Football London reports that YEARS of background work had already gone into cultivating a relationship with Tchouameni,
who at that time still played for Monaco.
However, according to the Telegraph, when it was put to senior figures at the club such as Marina Granovskaia to make a decision on the transfer – they decided a loan deal for Atletico Madrid’s Saul Niguez was the better option.
The Spanish international utterly flopped at Stamford Bridge last season, while Real Madrid moved to snap up Tchouameni this summer in a deal that could eventually cost £87million.
However that already looks like snip as the 22-year-old powerhouse is gaining reputation as one of the world’s best players in his position.
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His performances were one of the reasons Madrid were happy to let Casemiro go to Manchester United.
Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti praised his star after the weekend win over city rivals Atletico.
He said: “We’re not surprised by Tchouameni.
“He’s a spectacular player. It was difficult at first, but you can tell he feels very good.
“In training, you can see that. He plays well in defence and in attack.
I’m happy with him and I hope he continues to improve.”
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Chelsea splashed out £259.1 this summer under new owner Todd Boehly.
And the first thing the American might want to look at is whether his recruitment department are guilty of letting superstar
Tchouameni be the one that got away.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
