Back in the summer of 2013, Chelsea won the race to sign Willian for a fee of £30m from Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala. They did so after hijacking Tottenham’s move for the Brazilian.
Spurs believed Willian would be arriving in North London, and yet, hours later in the final week of the summer window in 2013, Willian signed for Chelsea. He would go on to have a stunning Chelsea career.
Unlike the Russian club he had left, who have since reverted to semi-pro status after going bankrupt. Then, a year ago, Chelsea attempted to do the same thing, as Tottenham closed in on another signing.
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Chelsea's Raheem Sterling celebrates scoring his side's first goal with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
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This time, Chelsea failed in their attempts to get the better of Tottenham, as Mathys Tel completed a loan move to Spurs. A deal which became permanent in the summer, Spurs paying Bayern Munich a £35m fee.
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After scoring 16 goals in 83 games for Bayern, Tel left the German champions in an attempt to win more game time. He chose England as his landing spot as Tottenham made the move to secure Tel’s services.
Mathys Tel.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
But as per L’Equipe, Chelsea attempted a hijack in true Willian style while Tel sat in the airport ahead of his move to Spurs. Unlike Willian, however, Tel had already agreed to join Spurs and did not make a U-turn.
Tel has not been particularly eye-catching since his initial loan from Bayern, scoring just six goals in 12 months albeit helping Spurs win the Europa League. Spurs paid £35m to sign him permanently in June.
This season, Tel has managed to start just six of his 18 appearances. Scoring three goals, the 20-year-old has managed little over 600 minutes and now, reports are emerging regarding the Frenchman’s future.
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Todd Boehly and Paul Winstanley during Chelsea and Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge.
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Chelsea dodge bullet as Mathys Tel eyes Tottenham exit
There were doubts about Tel when he initially moved to England. Many thought his stats while at Bayern were particularly uninspiring, especially given Bayern’s dominance in Germany and their attacking talent.
That has been proven right, given he’s struggling to start, and this is in a Spurs side with Dom Solanke injured. There is no doubt that Chelsea have dodged a bullet in being unable to hijack Spurs’ Tel move.
Proven right even further, because Tel is now looking to leave. A report from RMC Sport claims Tel is open to leaving Spurs as he attempts to make a late push for France’s World Cup squad, a touch ambitious.
Spurs do not want to sell him, but are open to a loan. Ultimately, Chelsea have got away with one and Spurs are now left with an incredibly expensive player that could end up being sold at a loss soon.
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