Chelsea’s chairman is still baffled about the signing of Saúl in 2021. The Premier League side had Tchoumaméni as an option.
According to the London outlet, Football London, Chelsea had the option of signing the French midfielder in the summer of 2021.
After several years of contact with Tchouaméni and his agents, the Blues needed a new addition to their midfield and thought of the then Monaco player, who was valued at €70m.
However, the Stamford Bridge hierarchy were not convinced that Tchoumaméni could make an instant impact for Thomas Tuchel, so they ended up opting for Saúl Ñíguez. The Spaniard arrived on loan from Atlético Madrid with €35m option to buy, but it was never exercised and he performed much worse than expected.
So, a year on and with Kanté and Jorginho’s contracts close to expiring (in 2023), Chelsea’s new board are now scratching their heads over their midfield dilemma.