Chelsea have been dealt a blow at the very beginning of the Xabi Alonso era. It had looked like the club were close to signing a highly-rated winger in this summer transfer window. But now, that is no longer possible. Well, it might be in the future, but most likely for a much larger transfer fee.
News broke out yesterday that Chelsea’s €25 million transfer bid for Zadok Yohanna had been accepted by AIK. But that was not the only one that was green lit by the Swedish club.
Unfortunately for Chelsea, they have now lost out when it comes to the race to get a deal for Yohanna over the line, even though their bid was one of those that was accepted. Instead, it is Brighton & Hove Albion who have come out on top and succeeded in signing the Nigerian winger ahead of everybody else.
Brighton & Hove Albion have officially announced the signing of Yohanna from AIK Stockholm. He arrives on a five-year contract until June 2031.
Nigerian winger chooses move to Brighton over Chelsea
Obviously, Brighton have one of the best records in the Premier League when it comes to developing youngsters. Chelsea will know that well after the amount they have spent on transfer fees over the past four years, signing players from the Seagulls.
So, it is not hard to understand why Yohanna has chosen the move to Brighton over other clubs. The Seagulls just have a track record of providing the best platform possible to their youngsters and then allowing them to move on when the time is right.
Yohanna is 18 years of age. That might be exactly what he needs right now. Joining a club like Chelsea probably would not have been the right choice.
At Chelsea, he would have had to perform from the get-go. Otherwise, there was the possibility that he would get lost in the shuffle. A loan or permanent move to Strasbourg would likely follow. And who knows where his confidence level would be at that point?
Why Yohanna made the right choice
Bad moves at this point in a career can derail it completely. So, to be very honest, I feel that Yohanna has made the smarter choice.
As for Chelsea, they need to find the right solution to their problems. An 18-year-old winger would not have been that. Especially since they already have Estevao as well as Geovany Quenda coming in.
What Chelsea need right now is some proven quality and experience. Players who will most definitely walk into the starting XI, not might or might not.
Chelsea have been linked with some well-established wingers over the past few weeks. And their resources would be better invested if they ended up signing one of them.
