Chelsea flop 'relieved' he was sold

Tom Weber

Updated: 7 Oct 2024 19:20 BST
3 min read

Strasbourg winger Diego Moreira says he has 'rediscovered this joy of playing football' after leaving Chelsea.

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The Portuguese attacker was signed by Chelsea on a free transfer in 2023 after leaving Benfica, but his brief time at Stamford Bridge was a bit of a nightmare.

Moreira was handed his debut in the Carabao Cup before being sent out on loan to Olympique Lyon, which meant that he was no longer eligible to play for any other clubs. This proved to be a problem when he struggled for minutes in France, prompting Chelsea to recall him in January.

Thus, the 20-year-old was stuck in London and essentially demoted to the reserve squad where injury problems restricted him from playing regularly. In the summer, he was sold to BlueCo affiliate Strasbourg for a fee initially reported as €2 million before it was later claimed that he had actually cost €8m-€9m.

It appeared to be a dodgy deal purely designed to help Chelsea balance the books, but Moreira's impact at Strasbourg has been impressive so far.

Moreira 'relieved' he left Chelsea

The youngster started the season in his favoured left-wing position but an injury to Chelsea loanee Caleb Wiley has seen him deputise at left-back in recent games.

Despite his new, more withdrawn role, Moreira has actually been more effective than before, notching an assist against Lille before scoring the winner in the 1-0 upset over Olympique de Marseille.

Speaking to La Derniere Heure, the Portuguese has admitted that he is delighted with his summer transfer. “I see myself staying here. Since I got here, it’s been a relief. I rediscovered this joy of playing football, of having fun. Everything is great: the coach, the club, the infrastructure, the quality of life, the city.

“It’s true that the level of academy football is not comparable to professional football: you have the impression that you are stagnating, that you are not learning anything. Yes, we still learn something every day, but at that time I needed to gain experience. It's not what I was looking for.”