Anthony Martial Rejected Chelsea FC Before Manchester United Move
The Blues missed out on another promising youngster, apparently.
In a kick to the teeth of Chelsea FC fans, reports are surfacing that Anthony Martial had snubbed a move to Stamford Bridge before confirming his switch to Manchester United. With Blues players seemingly afraid to run with the ball, how much would you give to have the precocious talent of Martial in Jose Mourinho’s squad?
The 19-year-old completed a mega £36million move to Old Trafford as the transfer deadline closed in. Now, Manchester Evening News reveals that the striker turned down an offer from Chelsea before taking the opportunity to join Louis Van Gaal in Manchester.
"Monaco vice-president Vadim Vasilyev stated this week another European club lodged a late bid for the 19-year-old striker and M.E.N. Sport can reveal it was Premier League champions Chelsea.The Stamford Bridge club was keen to agree a deal for Martial before the September 2 deadline, with the teenager remaining in France for another year."
It’s always been said that a young footballer’s dream was to run out onto the Old Trafford turf in a United shirt. This revelation proves that such an ambition still remains despite matters at the Red Devils taking a turn for the worse recently.
When the deal was first announced, many fans and pundits were shocked by the amount that Ed Woodward was willing to fork out for a relatively unproven youngster. However, he has since proven his worth. The Frenchman has scored three Premier League goals in five appearances and four in seven overall.
Furthermore, if we are to believe Vasilyev and M.E.N., Chelsea’s bid was in fact more lucrative for AS Monaco.
"I will not say how much, but the fixed price, without variables, [the other bid] was even better. And also they offered us to have him for a further year in Monaco."
As Chelsea reportedly missed out on a number of targets throughout the summer, this news will do nothing to appease the swathes of fans who were frustrated with the club’s lack of action.
The Blues have been dire this season while the players have looked both tired and disinterested. The club have missed that fresh injection of hunger and desire and a 19-year-old Martial would have certainly provided that.
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Having said that, the Chelsea brass seemingly did little wrong in this case. They offered Monaco a better deal than United, it was simply that the player preferred a Manchester move over one to London.
Nevertheless, this is something else that Blues fans can lament as their season continues to head in a southern direction.
Just think about it. What if Martial was around to lead the line in Diego Costa’s absence? Or even challenge him for the first choice role in general.
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