According to The Telegraph, Chelsea never formally made an offer for Tchouameni to Monaco last summer because top authorities at Stamford Bridge were not sure the Frenchman could make an immediate impact on Thomas Tuchel’s side.
As the summer transfer window came to an end, they turned their attention to another target: Saul Niguez.
A year later, it is abundantly evident that Chelsea made a huge mistake. Tchouameni has established himself as a regular starter for Real Madrid from the outset, smoothly replacing a legend like Casemiro.
On the other hand, Chelsea are going through a midfield problem at the moment, with N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic struggling with constant injury problems, while many of the others do not seem up to the mark.
In other news, Damian Willoughby, Chelsea’s commercial director, has been fired after sending “inappropriate messages” to a female football finance agent.
Before joining the club last month, Willoughby sent inappropriate messages to Catalina Kim.
Kim was involved in a March effort to purchase the West London club.
“Chelsea confirms that it has terminated commercial director Damian Willoughby’s employment with immediate effect,” a club spokesperson said.
“Evidence of inappropriate messages sent by Mr Willoughby, prior to his appointment at Chelsea FC earlier this month, has recently been provided to and investigated by the club.
“While they were sent prior to his employment at the club, such behaviour runs absolutely counter to the workplace environment and corporate culture being established by the club’s new ownership.”
Willoughby started his second stint at Stamford Bridge last month, following the club’s acquisition by an investor group led by industrialist Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
Willoughby worked for Chelsea from 2007 to 2010, as well as Manchester City and EA Sports. However, he was fired less than a month into the job.
According to The Telegraph, who broke the story first, Kim highlighted the messages to Chelsea’s head of business, Tim Glick, who hired Willoughby.
Kim’s company, C&P Sports Group, was interested in British property owner Nick Candy’s quest to buy the club after former owner Roman Abramovich placed it up for sale earlier this year.
A Chelsea spokesperson added: “The club’s owners are working tirelessly to set and achieve the highest standards both on and off the pitch, and are determined to establish and nurture a culture of transparency, accountability, inclusivity, diversity and opportunity.
“The club is committed to creating an environment which embodies these values.”
