Just three games into the Premier League season, Chelsea have suffered two major setbacks in the form of injuries. Firstly, their star player, Cole Palmer, was pulled out just before the second game against West Ham due to a groin issue, and then in the third game against Fulham, summer signing Liam Delap picked up a hamstring issue. Both of these players are sidelined for the moment.
After these two consecutive blows to their attacking lineup, the West London club were left scrambling for a solution in their latest search for alternatives, that too with only two days remaining in the window. As a result, they also decided to cancel Nicolas Jackson's loan arrangement with Bayern Munich, although it ultimately went through after renegotiations and including an obligation to buy.
In their search for alternatives, few reports suggested that the Blues had inquired about Conrad Harder of Sporting CP. However, the move didn't work out because the 20-year-old was not keen on a move to Stamford Bridge.
Now, Fabrizio Romano has given the reasons behind Harder's decision to not join Chelsea. He wrote in his column on GIVEMESPORT:
"Harder was not convinced about moving to Stamford Bridge. Even with maximum respect for Chelsea and their project, Harder felt that a move to the Blues was probably going to end up with him sitting on the bench in the upcoming weeks, after Delap’s return."
Fabrizio Romano confirms why £23m Chelsea move didn't happen
After joining Leipzig, Harder said:
"I'm really looking forward to this new challenge at RB Leipzig. The Bundesliga is a top league where I can continue to improve and prove myself. I hope I can score lots of goals and want to help achieve our goals as part of this team. RB Leipzig are all about playing intense, attacking football - exactly what suits my style of play."
Despite failing to sign Harder, Chelsea were able to find a solution before the deadline, as they reached an agreement to bring back Marc Guiu from his loan spell at Sunderland. Last season, the Spaniard scored 6 goals in seven Europa Conference League matches for the Blues, and now he is expected to serve as Joao Pedro's backup in Delap's absence.
With the return of the Spaniard to Stamford Bridge, the Blues have now somewhat tackled their striker crisis, hopefully for just the next few weeks, as they will want Delap back as soon as possible. Let's hope that that are no more injury problems to deal with.