Newcastle United lost key midfielders this summer, but they were not the only ones. So did Chelsea, as Enzo Fernandez joined Manchester City on deadline day of the transfer window.
It had looked like Chelsea were on the verge of signing Lamine Camara as Fernandez’s replacement when AS Monaco pulled the plug at the eleventh hour. Of course, that left without a proper midfield.
They had lost their orchestrator in the middle of the park and had not replaced him, despite receiving a £125 million fee and having all summer to do so. Just look at their midfield against Arsenal. They ended the game with Reece James and Malo Gusto in the pivot. That simply cannot be the case for a team with title ambitions.
So, naturally, they have been linked with a few free agents to at least fill that void for the short-term. And one of them is former Newcastle United midfielder, Georginio Wijnaldum.
Wijnaldum joins new club after Chelsea links
Wijnaldum had been a free agent all summer and after the failed move for Camara, reports emerged suggesting that Chelsea were interested in him.
But there were reports suggesting the contrary as well, as some outlets claimed that Chelsea had no interest in signing Wijnaldum, even as a free agent.
No matter which was accurate, Chelsea are no longer going to have the chance to sign him as a free agent. That is because Al-Ittihad have officially announced the signing of Wijnaldum.
So, the Dutch international is set to continue his career in the SPL. He has proven himself as an elite performer there, having spent the past three seasons at Al-Ettifaq.
✍️ Wijnaldum joins Al-Ittihad 🐅🇳🇱 pic.twitter.com/9b2xDKRcMX
— Al-Ittihad Club (@ittihad_en) September 6, 2026
Wijnaldum had a very short stint at Newcastle United
Wijnaldum had been brought to English football by Newcastle United. But his time at St James’ Park was brief as he was able to impress Liverpool very quickly.
Unfortunately, at that point in time, Newcastle United were not a club that was capable of holding on to their best players for long, if top clubs came calling for their services.
They are in a somewhat better position now. But then again, we have seen Bruno Guimaraes join Arsenal and Sandro Tonali join Tottenham Hotspur this summer itself.
Wijnaldum would then end up joining Liverpool and became an integral part of Jurgen Klopp’s team, that brought Liverpool back to the top of English football for decades.
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