Chelsea deadline day round-up: Significant rejection but two signings
Chelsea managed to overcome some significant disappointment to sign Davide Zappacosta and Danny Drinkwater on transfer deadline day.
Chelsea suffered a rollercoaster of a day on Thursday as the transfer window slammed shut. After entering deadline day with potentially three deals on the cards, they were rejected twice. However, the Blues managed to sign Davide Zappacosta out of left field while Danny Drinkwater finally got his Stamford Bridge wish.
Starting with positives, Chelsea addressed their biggest concern by finally signing a wingback. The Blues secured a deal for Zappacosta in a fast-moving process. The former Torino man seems delighted with the move.
"It is a dream for me to join Chelsea and play in the Premier League. I am very excited to be here and start working with the team. I hope I can show my quality to the coach, my team-mates and the supporters. – via chelseafc.com"
The Blues were essentially embarrassed on Wednesday when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain outright rejected a move to West London. The Englishman sealed a switch to Liverpool early on deadline day.
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Fortunately, Chelsea management had one trick left up their sleeve and put the wheels in motion for Zappacosta. Those in the know in Serie A highly rate the full-back. He will be challenging Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso for their wingback slots.
Danny Drinkwater, meanwhile, finally had his wish to leave Leicester City fulfilled. The Premier League-winning midfielder went into Cobham for his medical late in the day. The Blues were granted a two-hour extension to get the necessary paperwork in order after the initial deal form was submitted on time.
The move was due to be formalised in the early hours.
Deadline day started poorly for the Blues. They were again dealt a dose of rejection in the morning as Fernando Llorente opted to entertain an offer from Tottenham instead. That deal was also closed before the deadline.
The disappointment was compounded towards the end of the day too. It was revealed that Ross Barkley had rejected a move to Chelsea after he had taken a medical. Everton’s majority shareholder, Farhad Moshiri, told Sky Sports News that Barkley had changed his mind and wanted to reevaluate his position in January. A £35 million fee had already been agreed between Chelsea and Everton.
In the end, it was a thoroughly exciting deadline day on the whole for football fans. After a couple of disappointing ones, there was drama right down to the deadline and beyond. Chelsea supporters, though, may be smarting from the multiple rejections they have received over the last few days.
Next: Chelsea failed Antonio Conte over the summer and on deadline day
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