Bournemouth duo Antoine Semenyo and Dean Huijsen were high on Chelsea’s transfer shortlist before securing moves elsewhere, and Chelsea chiefs have revealed why they pulled out of the race.
Chelsea are never far away from the hottest transfer targets, and they had their eyes firmly set on two players who were on fire for the Cherries last season.
Semenyo is bound for Man City after an intense race that saw a number of top Premier League clubs explore a deal with the £65 million release clause now active.
Before he made the move to Real Madrid, Chelsea were trying to tempt Huijsen to come to Stamford Bridge instead. They would eventually pull out of both sets of negotiations, for reasons laid out in a recent interview with the club’s decision-makers.
Enzo Maresca and Andoni Iraola during Chelsea vs Bournemouth
Photo by Robin Jones – AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images
Chelsea’s financial explanations for failed pursuit of Antoine Semenyo and Dean Huijsen
When you look at Chelsea’s current squad, it’s painfully obvious why Andoni Iraola’s stars were top targets.
The Blues are yet to secure an elite centre-back that has been a problem for a few seasons now, and the left-wing spot is still up for grabs.
The reasons were revealed on the SPTC Substack after they conducted the lengthy interview.
On Semenyo, they said: “Everything Chelsea do is framed for the long-term benefit. The club does not want to mortgage its future for short-term optics. That does not mean Chelsea will never sign older players or those without resale value, but such deals must make sense holistically. There is no under-23s-only rule.
“To date, under this sporting leadership, the right opportunity has not yet presented itself.
“Take Antoine Semenyo as an example. A £65m fee plus wages exceeding £200k per week would significantly disrupt the wage structure without materially changing Chelsea’s performance this season. However, if in the future a player represents the missing piece in a title push, the club would not hesitate to act.”
Chelsea could still sign a new attacker after cooling their interest in Antoine Semenyo. Who would you target, or are you content with Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens?
Antoine Semenyo in action during Sunderland v Bournemouth - Premier League
Photo by Robin Jones – AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images
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Interesting…
On Huijsen, they explain: “Claims that Maresca was not consulted on transfers are simply false. He approved all summer signings and was actively involved throughout the process.
“While he did want a centre-back, he was unwilling to sanction departures to create space, and no suitable option emerged following the pursuit of Dean Huijsen. Liverpool found themselves in a similar position.”
Attempting to assess the Chelsea perspective
This interview has to be taken with a pinch of salt. Naturally, this is the perspective of the club, which is not the perspective of Maresca. That much is clear.
It’s hard to make sense of some aspects.
On Semenyo, the wage structure claim isn’t a surprise. They have been trying to keep their wage bill low and use performance incentives to motivate players metarily. Chelsea don’t want another Raheem Sterling situation.
But the £200,000 per week he wanted isn’t that much more than what the likes of Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella have recently negotiated. If Chelsea really ‘would not hesitate’ to add a game-changer kind of star, they surely realise that they will have to come to a figure like that. Confusing.
As for Huijsen, it just seems hard to believe that Maresca is the reason they couldn’t make room financially — and that no suitable option emerged afterwards is equally incredible.
I struggle to accept that signing both Jamie Gittens (£52m) and Alejandro Garnacho (£40m) was more of a priority for the Italian than a world-class defensive prospect like Huijsen — who moved to the Spanish capital for £50 million.
Is the Garnacho transfer working out? 👀
Garnacho for Chelsea, the numbers don’t jump out..
Alejandro Garnacho stats for Chelsea
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Maybe it’s a natural scepticism towards BlueCo, but these explanations aren’t holding water. If Chelsea truly have title ambitions, these are the swings that need to be taken.
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