Brazilian midfielder Lucas Paqueta has now come out and claimed that Chelsea made the call in this transfer window to get a transfer deal done, before opting to move to Flamengo after becoming unhappy with life in England.
Paqueta has been in the news in recent weeks since news broke that he would like to leave the Premier League strugglers and return to his home country and play for Flamengo.
The cause of Paqueta’s accident in England can be traced back to the Football Association’s high-profile investigation into allegations of spot fixing. Although the Brazil international was eventually cleared of the charges, the ordeal reportedly left a deep psychological scar. The case not only tarnished his reputation for a while, but also scuppered a dream £80 million move to Manchester City in the summer of 2023.
That led to some stunning media reports claiming this CHELSEA were very open to the idea of bringing Paqueta to Stamford Bridge to add some much-needed depth to that midfield for the remainder of the season, but that move obviously fell through.
Paqueta is back in his homeland after completing a move with West Ham in a deal worth more than £35 million. But after arriving at his new club, the playmaker has revealed he had options to stay in England but turned down both Chelsea and Tottenham.
Paqueta told Flamengo TV: “Tottenham called, Chelsea called, and the funny thing is Tata [Paqueta’s agent] all called excitedly and said, ‘Chelsea are calling, they’re going to make an offer’.
“I replied: ‘Okay, but what about Flamengo?’ He said, ‘Are you serious?’
“I said, ‘Yes, I don’t care. I want to hear about Flamengo,’ and that’s how it all turned out.”
IcFootballnews says…
A few seasons ago, Paqueta almost made that big move to City, almost made that step up, but it’s clear that all that research has taken place and he needed to get his career back on track.
Life in Europe no longer entertains him and a return to his home country was the right choice. He has made his money in football and is only now starting to enjoy his time at Flamengo.
If he had been there, he would have just sat on the couch CHELSEA anyway.
IDRISSA COMPLETES MOVE AT THE END OF JANUARY
Chelsea have now come out and announced on the club website that forward Yahya Idrissi has completed a permanent transfer to Serie A club AC Milan after the decision was made to allow him to leave the club.
He signed his first professional contract with the club just 10 months ago, in April 2025, and is expected to become a Moroccan international after first being called up to the national team’s under-17 set-up at the age of 13.
But the Blues made the big decision to let him leave the club permanently after AC Milan showed keen interest in completing a transfer deal, and after a few weeks of negotiations a move was announced on deadline day.
The Blues reported: ‘The versatile forward joined our Academy from West Ham United at the age of 11 and developed through the youth academy at Cobham.
‘Idrissi was heavily involved in the Under-17 Premier League Cup win during the 2023/24 season and made his Under-18 debut that season, scoring once in four games.
‘He continued to play for our Under-18s into the 2024/25 season, with the Moroccan youth international signing his first professional contract with the Blues.
“We thank Yahya for his efforts during his time at our Academy and wish him the best as he begins a new chapter in his career.
AC Milan have also confirmed his arrival and that he will be a player for the future, rather than their first team.
The Italian giants said: “AC Milan is pleased to announce the signing of Yahya Idrissi, who will be part of the Milan Futuro Project, which is dedicated to the growth and development of youth talents.
“The midfielder, born in 2007, comes from Chelsea FC to the Rossoneri.”
IcFootballnews says…
We know that for sure CHELSEA I didn’t want to lose such a talented player, but when a big club like AC Milan comes along, it’s very difficult to refuse.
We are sure Chelsea have a buy-back clause and will be keeping a close eye on how he performs in Milan.
RUNHAM LEAVES ON LOAN
Frankie Runham will be loaned out to Championship club Ipswich Town for the remainder of the 2025/26 season, Chelsea have now announced on deadline day after deciding to let the forward make the move in January.
CHELSEA have been very active in the transfer market by allowing a number of players to leave the club on loan or on a permanent basis, and that is now the same for Runham after the Blues announced that he has left the club on loan.
The Blues reported: ‘Joining the Blues through our development center program at the age of eight, Runham has progressed through the youth ranks of our Academy.
‘He played regularly for our Under-18s as a schoolboy during the 2022/23 season and became our then youngest-ever UEFA Youth League goalscorer at the age of 15 with a goal against Dinamo Zagreb.
“We look forward to supporting Frankie during his loan spell.
“Good luck, Frankie.”
IcFootballnews says…
There are clearly a lot of talented players in that academy who need to go out on loan and get some much-needed game time, and Runham was one of the players who needed to test themselves in a competition like the Championship.
If he can manage to get the playing time he needs to help with his development, then he should come back CHELSEA a much better player in the summer period than the one who just left.
The Championship is a very good competition for a player like Runham to test his abilities and, as we’ve just said, hopefully he gets the minutes he needs to help with his development.
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