Here is a roundup of the top news, gossip and transfer speculation from icfootballnews that you Chelsea fans may have missed from deadline day featuring Yahya Idrissi, Frankie Runhill and Lucas Paqueta…
Brazilian midfielder Lucas Paqueta has now come out and claimed that Chelsea made the call to get a transfer deal done this transfer window before he opted to make the move to Flamengo after becoming unhappy with life in England.
Paqueta has been in the headlines alot over the past few weeks ever since news broke that he would like to leave the Premier League strugglers and make a move back to his homeland and play for Flamengo.
The root of Paqueta’s unhappiness in England can be traced back to the high-profile investigation by the Football Association into spot-fixing allegations. Although the Brazilian international was eventually cleared of the charges, the ordeal has reportedly left a deep psychological scar. The case not only tarnished his reputation for a period but also scuppered a dream £80m move to Manchester City in the summer of 2023
That led to some stunning reports in the media which claimed that CHELSEA were very much open to the idea of taking Paqueta to Stamford Bridge in order to add some much needed depth to that midfield for the rest of the season, but that move obviously did not happen.
Paqueta is back in his homeland after they thrashed out a deal with West Ham to get the move over the line in a deal worth over £35million, But after arriving at his new club, the playmaker has revealed he had options to remain in England but he snubbed both Chelsea AND Tottenham.
Paqueta told Flamengo TV: “Tottenham called, Chelsea called, and the funny thing is that Tata [Paqueta’s agent] called all excited and said, ‘Chelsea’s calling, they’re gonna make an offer’.
“I replied, ‘OK, but what about Flamengo?’ He said, ‘Are you serious?’
“I said, ‘Yeah, I don’t care about that. I want to hear about Flamengo’, and that’s how it all turned out.”
IcFootballnews Says…
A few seasons ago, Paqueta almost made that big move to City, almost made that step up, but obviously all that investigation happened and he has had to get his career back on track.
Life in Europe does not entertain him anymore and a move back to his homeland was the right one to make, he has made his money in football and will just now look to enjoy his time back with Flamengo.
He would have just been sitting on the bench if he joined CHELSEA anyways.
IDRISSA COMPLETES LATE JANUARY MOVE
Chelsea have now come out and announced on the club website that forward Yahya Idrissi has completed a permanent transfer to Serie A club AC Milan after the decision was made to allow him to leave the club.
He signed his first professional contract with the club just 10 months ago, in April 2025, and is expected to become a Moroccan international, having been first called up to the national team’s under-17 setup at just 13-years-old.
But the Blues made the big decision to allow him to leave the club on a permanent basis after AC Milan showed a strong interest in getting a transfer deal done, and after a few weeks or talks, a move was announced on deadline day.
The Blues posted: ‘The versatile forward joined our Academy from West Ham United aged 11 and was developed through the youth ranks at Cobham.
‘Idrissi was heavily involved in our Under-17 Premier League Cup win during the 2023/24 campaign and made his Under-18s debut that season, scoring once in four appearances.
‘He continued to feature for our Under-18s in the 2024/25 campaign, during which the Morocco youth international signed his first professional contract with the Blues.
‘We thank Yahya for his efforts throughout his time in our Academy and wish him well as he begins a new chapter in his career.
AC Milan have also confirmed his arrival, and that he will be a player for the future, rather than their first team.
The Italian giants said: “AC Milan is pleased to announce the signing of Yahya Idrissi, who will be part of the Milan Futuro Project, dedicated to the growth and development of youth talents.
“The 2007-born midfielder joins the Rossoneri from Chelsea FC.”
IcFootballnews Says…
We are sure that CHELSEA did not want to lose such a talented player, but when a massive club like AC Milan come calling, it is very hard to turn down.
We are sure that Chelsea have a buy-back clause and will keep a very close eye on how he is performing at Milan.
RUNHAM LEAVES ON LOAN
Frankie Runham will spend the remainder of the 2025/26 campaign on loan at Championship side Ipswich Town, Chelsea have now revealed on deadline day after deciding to let the forward make the move this January.
CHELSEA have been very active in the transfer market in allowing a number of players to leave the club on loan or on a permanent basis, and that has now been the same for Runham after the Blues announced that he has left the club on a loan basis.
The Blues posted: ‘Joining the Blues through our development centre programme at the age of eight, Runham has progressed through the youth ranks at our Academy.
‘He featured regularly for our Under-18s as a schoolboy during the 2022/23 campaign and, aged 15, became our then-youngest-ever UEFA Youth League goalscorer with a strike against Dinamo Zagreb.
‘We look forward to supporting Frankie throughout his loan spell.
‘Good luck, Frankie.’
IcFootballnews Says…
There are obviously alot of talented players in that academy that need to go out on loan and get some much needed game time, and Runham was one of the players that needed to test himself in a league like the Championship.
If he manages to get the game time that he needs to help with his development, then he should come back to CHELSEA in the summer window, a much better player that the one that has just left.
The Championship is a very good League for a player like Runham to test him abilities and as we have just said, hopefully he gets the minutes that he needs to help with his development.
MORE BIG CHELSEA NEWS AND GOSSIP
Latest: £80M South American a player Chelsea wants to sign – decision made on Blues move
Top Read: Premier League winner tells Chelsea board he wants London move!
Most Read: Brilliant £120M star tipped to make stunning move and leave Chelsea
LOVE CHELSEA? CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND GOSSIP
Related
Discover more from IcFootballNews –
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.