Ligue 1 forward reveals why he’d turn down Chelsea as he admits summer transfer ‘was close’

Elye Wahi has revealed why he had reservations over moving to Chelsea in the summer, as he admitted a move to Frankfurt was “close, more so than Chelsea”.

Wahi had a very good season in Ligue 1 last time out. The striker bagged 19 goals for Montpellier, with only six players scoring more than him in the league.

That tally followed a 10-goal return the season prior. After a couple of good campaigns in front of goal, the Frenchman was courted by some big names.

Chelsea were one of those, and reportedly had a bid of £24million turned down for Wahi. At the time, it was said he was keen on the move, though nothing came of it, and he ended up making the switch to Lens.

The striker has since admitted he had reservations about moving to Chelsea, and was actually closer to making a move to a different side.

“I didn’t want to go there just for the sake of it,” he told L’Equipe.

The Blues brought Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson in this summer, and that both are good players that are capable of playing through the middle of the attack means Wahi might have been right to have reservations, given he might not have played.

“Frankfurt was close, more so than Chelsea,” he added.

“I spoke with the manager there. He speaks French and that was important for me.

“They had to wait for Randal Kolo Muani’s departure and waiting for it was too complicated. I don’t have any regrets.”

There is a chance that Wahi might have starred in either potential destination, but we’ll never know if that would have happened, and he’s clearly content with the decision he made.

In any case, he’s moved to a side who finished second in Ligue 1 last season, while Chelsea finished 12th in the Premier League, and are currently in the same position after four games this season.

While Lens are in the relegation places at the moment, at least Chelsea aren’t flying high, or that could be a source of regret. Perhaps he’d have been able to help them into a better position, but it seems he’s not too bothered having not done that right now.

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