- 2 hours ago
Chelsea missed out on 'top secret' transfer - Romano
Jacque Talbot
- Updated: 15 Nov 2024 09:36 GMT
- 4 min read
Chelsea's failed summer target Samu Omorodion moved to Porto during the last window and the Portugal club's president has admitted that the deal was "top secret".
The Blues were chasing the youngster for months before eventually reaching a breakthrough in talks with Atletico Madrid, only for that deal to fall flat at the last hurdle.
After completing his medical at Stamford Bridge, the deal collapsed, though there have been conflicting reports why. There was suggestions that one party decided to change the terms of the move at the last minute.
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"It was a very difficult summer," Omorodion told RTVE at the time. "I went through a very difficult time because, after all, everyone knows that I was close to signing [for Chelsea], but the truth is that it didn't happen. It was for a reason: God didn't want it!"
The Spain international ended up signing for Porto instead on a much cheaper deal than what Chelsea would have had to pay, arriving for just €15 million upfront.
Current ETV
Samu Omorodion
F (C)
Porto
Samu Omorodion
F (C)
Porto
ETV Range
€12.8M - €21.4M
Now former Tottenham head coach Andre Villas-Boas has opened up on how the deal with Atletico came about.
"Omorodion deal was top secret for us. It was the only way to get it done, avoid leaks and get it done quick," he said in words aggregated by Fabrizio Romano.
"We signed Samu for €15m for 50% of the player... if the other clubs knew about that, for sure it was gonna be a complicated one".
The 20-year-old was recently been named in the Spain squad for November's UEFA Nations League games against Denmark and Switzerland. He earned the call-up afterr a superb start to life in Porgutal for Porto.
He has scored 11 times in 12 appearances for the club, while he netted four goals for Spain under-21s in a 6-0 win against Malta last month.
Samu's Spain call up
"The family's growing -- and you always have to add new elements," Spain manager Luis de la Fuente said in a recent news conference via ESPN.
"Now is a moment to give chances to players that have earned it, with an eye on the future. There's a lot of potential out there and we want to see it at the top level. Samu is just 20 and has the potential to be a top striker, but he has to keep growing and remain consistent. I hope he maintains his form for a long time because his room for improvement is massive."
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"We want different options up front," De la Fuente added. "I don't like the expression false nine. We have forwards who can play between the lines, with a lot of movement ... all types.
"Samu is good with his back to goal, strong in transition, shoots well, is comfortable in the box. He can adapt to what we like. The call up reflects his quality, hard work and talent," De la Fuente said. "There are players that need the demands to be raised to get the best out of themselves.
"If he had not won his place in Barça's first team, we probably would not have seen what he is capable of. He's a player that still has a lot to say and a lot of room to improve."
