“Wasn’t about talent”- Ex-coach reveals why two Premier League superstars failed to make the cut at Chelsea

Eddie Newton reveals why Mohamed Salah and Kevin de Bruyne failed to make the cut at Chelsea

According to Goal (h/t Eurosport), former Chelsea coach Eddie Newton has opened up on why Premier League superstars Mohamed Salah and Kevin de Bruyne failed to make the cut at Stamford Bridge.

Both Salah and de Bruyne are among the best players in the Premier League today if not the world. The duo has combined for two Premier League Player of the Year awards, three PFA Player of the Year awards and two golden boots among numerous other accolades.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing to have especially in football. Chelsea really dropped the ball in letting both the players slip through their fingers. Newton has now given us an idea of how it came to be.

According to the report, Newton claims that the duo’s lack of success at Chelsea had little to do with the lack of talent. After all, they were talented players to even be recruited in the first place.

“For me, I think Salah and De Bruyne wasn’t about talent.”

Instead, he has revealed that the pair were unable to get along with then-manager Jose Mourinho. While their talent was never in question, something had to give and they ended up paying the price.

“I think they were more than good enough, but it was the manager who didn’t see eye-to-eye with them, so it wasn’t going to work.”

de Bruyne was a Chelsea from 2012-2014 while Salah was at the club from 2014-2016. The duo made a combined 28 appearances for the Blues, scoring two goals and assisting five collectively.

The Blues have had a number of top players come through their ranks in recent years and have developed numerous talents at the same time as well. It is however sobering that we let the two biggest talents on offer in the league today slip through our fingers.

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To add insult to injury, it is our rivals who have gone on to reap the benefits of our decision. Salah is today the lynchpin of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool attack while Kevin de Bruyn is the key part of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City puzzle.