Former Super Eagles defender Michael Emenalo has revealed the one top player Chelsea was close to signing that didn’t materialize during his time as technical director at the club.
During his time at Chelsea, especially, former Super Eagles defender Michael Emenalo played a key role; from 1985 to 1995, he represented Nigeria and narrowly missed out on playing in the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States.
Emenalo, briefly an assistant manager in 2010, was promoted to technical director. Over the course of his nine years in charge, as Chelsea became a successful winning the Champions League, Europa League, and Premier League.
A Missed Opportunity: Sergio Agüero
On the ObiOnePodcast, recently, the former Super eagles star shed some light on a transfer that could have defined Chelsea’s fate. The club was actually close to signing a young Sergio Agüero, the former technical director revealed.
“We came very, very close,” he said, explaining that Agüero was 20 at the time and the plan was to pair him with Didier Drogba. Emenalo added, “The idea was to have him with Didier and to phase Didier out gradually because we knew Didier would be 35 soon.”
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🔵 ‘PHASING DROGBA OUT’
👑 Michael Emenalo was instrumental in bringing the likes of Mata, Hazard, Cesc & Kanté to @ChelseaFC…
But there was one that got away… 👇🏿
▶️ https://t.co/zMqRV2lHcF pic.twitter.com/NLe4Ra62CV
— The Obi One Podcast (@obionepodcast) October 18, 2024
Why the Deal Didn’t Happen
The former Super eagles defender didn’t go into details about why the transfer fell through, only stating, “I’m not going to go into details of why it didn’t happen.”
He moved on to Manchester City, where he became one of the league’s all-time greats, scoring 260 in 390 appearances.
Though Chelsea missed out on the Argentine striker, Emenalo’s leadership still brought significant success to the club during his time.
