Philippe Albert surprised at Chelsea snubbing Amadou Onana for Moises Caicedo
Pundit Philippe Albert admits he was shocked that Chelsea did not sign Amadou Onana from Everton despite spending a British record sum to land Brighton & Hove Albion ace Moises Caicedo.
The former Belgian international says the Blues should go for Onana, despite Chelsea’s decision to sign Caicedo. It was thought Chelsea had the Belgian midfielder as an alternative to the Ecuadorian midfielder had they failed to sign him.
However, Chelsea were successful in signing Caicedo after an intense bidding war with Liverpool, which saw the Blues break the British transfer record to recruit him. They also went a step further, adding Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia to their ranks.
Caicedo was Chelsea’s long-term target, and earlier negotiations with Brighton proved challenging, which saw them make Onana a backup option for the 21-year-old. The youngster is certainly talent but lags behind Caicedo when it comes to making an instant impact.
Albert, former Newcastle United centre-back claimed he was astounded that Chelsea opted to spend in excess on Caicedo instead of on Oanana, as he told La Capitale:
“Physically, Amadaou is a monster, and technically, he also has quality. I am very surprised that no one paid his €85 million clause. When I see how easily Chelsea spend the money to buy anything and everything, I find it very strange that they don’t buy a player like Onana for less than €100 million.”
For several months, Caicedo has been our top target, and Chelsea were determined to secure him. The midfielder was patiently waiting for us to move, so it made sense to go after him. Had the negotiations not made progress, we might have thought about signing Onana. Additionally, it would have been premature for him to sign given that Caicedo had already established himself as a talented defensive midfielder in the Premier League while he was still developing at Everton.
Albert’s comments on Onana’s characteristics is reasonable. But it would be better for the Belgian midfielder to remain at Everton and progress into a more mature player, then certainly, his performance will attract suitors in the next transfer window. Perhaps Chelsea will return as well.
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Not to worry, we also signed Romeo Lavia so the midfield situation is now resolved, and we should start looking for other positions. We need to add depth to one of our striker positions, and the Blues may aim to sign a seasoned centre-forward in January.