6 Transfer deals that Chelsea hijacked from other clubs

The transfer window has seen a lot of twists and turns where players take last minutes decisions that will see them move to other clubs despite saying they won’t be leaving their current club.

Another scenario is that some players might have had a verbal agreement with a particular football club but they will end up signing with another club and that has been the trend in recent years.

Chelsea football club has found itself in a situation where a player has agreed to join them but before the closure of the transfer window, the player joined another team. The Blues have also enjoyed a similar situation where they snatch a top deal from another club.

However, I want to bring to the light of my readers, 6 transfer deals that the Blues snatched from other clubs.

(1) John Obi Mikel

The Nigeria international was a hot prospect after starring for the country at the 2003 Under-17 FIFA World Cup in Finland.

Mikel has reportedly signed for Manchester United in 2005 but Chelsea snatched the deal and had to pay £12m as compensation for the Red Devils.

John Obi went on to win the Champions League, Europa League, English Premier League among other trophies.

(2) Willian

The Brazilian international was bound to join Tottenham Hotspurs in the summer of 2013 but Chelsea find their way into the deal.

Willian went on to sign for the Blues after receiving phone calls from Jose Mourinho and Roman Abramovich.

(3) Jorginho

The Italian international was instrumental to how Maurizio Sarri set up his play during his time as Napoli’s head coach.

Jorginho’s ball calming approach has caught the attention of Pep Guardiola and an agreement has been reached for the midfielder to join him at the Etihad Stadium.

However, the Blues snatched the deal at the last hour and Jorginho said his decision to join Chelsea over Manchester City was influenced by the appointment of Maurizio Sarri as the head coach of the Stamford Bridge faithful.

(4) Pedro

The World Cup winner was set to leave Barcelona following the arrival of Neymar Jr and his supposed destination was Old Trafford.

However, the presence of Jose Mourinho as Chelsea’s head coach was instrumental to the forward’s decision to join the west London club.

Another notable reason was the Red Devils’ unwillingness to match Barca’s valuation of the player.

(5) Juan Mata

Arsenal has been in talks with Valencia for the signing of Juan Mata. The Gunners even had their offer of £13m rejected.

However, Chelsea eventually enter the race for the player’s signature and a fee in the region of £23 was all they need to convince Valencia into selling for them over their London rival.

(6) Mohamed Salah

In 2014, Liverpool was in talks with Basel for several weeks and it looks like the pacey winger will be joining them.

However, Chelsea came in to snatch the deal, and Salah ends up playing for the west London club.