01 Sep 2026 23:25:45
And deal fell through.
Monaco pulled the plug.
02 Sep 2026 02:41:37
Very, very bad news. Why did this happen... Why did we leave it so late to try to do the deal? Left us so thin in midfield.
02 Sep 2026 08:40:30
I just can't work out why clubs leave it so late, you leave yourselves open to a problem like this which can't be rectified.
I think it's unprofessional to leave it so late.
02 Sep 2026 09:04:58
I think we needed to make sure the Fernandez deal was happening first.
02 Sep 2026 09:55:41
Yes, but everyone knew Fernandez was going to City weeks ago, so surely we should have sorted everything out for a replacement weeks ago, subject to the sale of Enzo.
02 Sep 2026 10:29:55
Agree with you, swcfc.
02 Sep 2026 15:19:20
Chelsea Football Club's stance was clear. The fee for Fernandez was a minimum of £120m. We had no control or absolute certainty that City were prepared to make that sort of offer.
I personally didn't care if EF ever played for us again, but the club and manager played him against Fulham, so they were happy to keep him.
02 Sep 2026 17:42:34
Yes, but my point is we could have had a replacement lined up, subject to Enzo leaving.
I'm led to believe this happens often in football transfers.
City's tactics were obvious here, they wanted the player and left it to the last minute, making it difficult for a competitor to get a replacement. We should have been better prepared, in my opinion.
02 Sep 2026 18:05:44
Swcfc, I think we tried to get players lined up in case Fernandez was sold. Club transfers are not a static thing, and I personally believe it's hard to imagine a club with a top player letting us have a guaranteed option to buy that player but only if we sell our player.
If that makes sense?
My guess is we will make a stop-gap signing and then look at the market in January. I personally would like us to still sign Camara but I would be reluctant (for no real reason) to do Monaco a favour.