Photo by Chloe Knott - Danehouse/Getty Images
Photo by Chloe Knott - Danehouse/Getty Images
Chelsea are still working hard in the transfer market, and the next port of call, after announcing the signing of Pep Chavarria, looks likely to be a central midfielder.
Chelsea have now signed 11 new players this summer, spending north of £350m. Five of those 11 were deals agreed before Xabi Alonso joined, and six more have arrived since the Spaniard was appointed.
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Two of those are central midfielders in Jordan Henderson and Valentin Barco. They have been added to a wealth of options in the middle of the park that also includes Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez.
Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo are also options, but Chelsea are now being touted with a new midfielder signing, and Monaco’s Lamine Camara is the latest option to be linked with a move to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea have a bad record of signings from AS Monaco
Senegal international Camara, 22, is considered one of the best young midfielders on the planet. Initial reports state that Manchester United are also keen, while Crystal Palace have seen a £43m bid rejected.
Lamine Camara of Senegal controls the ball
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TeamTalk say Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid have all been keeping tabs on the midfielder, while French outlet Nice Matin say a fee of £51m will be enough to convince Monaco to sell.
But Chelsea should be fearful of signing Camara, not because of the player, but because of their record when it comes to signings from Monaco. In the club’s history, Chelsea have signed four from Monaco.
Costing a total of £110m, Chelsea have raided Monaco for Benoit Badiashile, Axel Disasi, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Falcao on loan. None of those four signings worked, and actually, they flopped at Chelsea.
Chelsea v Blackburn Rovers - Carabao Cup Fourth Round
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Just how bad were Chelsea’s four signings from Monaco?
That is not to say Camara will be a bad signing if the Blues make their move, but it is something worth bearing in mind. In fact, it is uncanny that four big signings all failed to have much of a Chelsea impact.
Badiashile and Disasi were both bought under the ownership of BlueCo, roughly costing a combined £70m. But both players are on the scrapheap at Chelsea, with Xabi Alonso keen to offload both players.
Tosin Adarabioyo and Benoit Badiashile of Chelsea react
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Both Disasi and Badiashile started well, but have faded. Now, Badiashile looks set for Napoli while the Blues are keen to offload Disasi – it is almost certain that Chelsea will not receive £70m back for them.
Bakayoko was a £40m signing from Monaco, but he was largely considered Chelsea’s worst signing ever back in 2017. After one season, he was loaned to Milan, back to Monaco, Napoli, and Milan again.
Bakayoko then joined Lorient on a free, and continues to play in Greece with PAOK. Falcao managed one goal in 12 games for Chelsea on loan from Monaco, and at 40, is still playing for Millonarios in Colombia.
Four dismal signings that should concern Chelsea when they go in for Camara. It might be that Camara breaks the mould and thrives at Chelsea if signed, but the history before him suggests he may struggle.