He didn’t play once while he was at Chelsea, now he could join Dortmund for £25m
It’s a common theme since BlueCo took over in 2022; just ask Gaga Slonina. There are many examples of players joining Chelsea for big money and then leaving without ever playing a game.
Slonina is a current example, joining the Blues for £10m four years ago from Chicago Fire. But the shot-stopper has never played a competitive match for Chelsea, though he did feature during pre-season.
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Indeed, he came on and impressed against Johor Darul Ta’zim. He’s just one example of a long list of talented youngsters who join Chelsea but fail to play and end up being sold, as if they are commodities.
Another example took place back in the summer of 2023. Chelsea raided Santos for a player many felt could be the next coming of Neymar. Angelo Gabriel moved to Stamford Bridge for a fee of just £13m.
Angelo could now join Dortmund in £25m move
It felt like a coup. This was a teenager arriving in London who had already played a huge 129 games for Santos, having a hand in 15 goals. He was immediately sent on loan to Strasbourg for the 23-24 season.
He failed to score in 25 games, but his four assists deemed the loan successful. That summer, he was sold to Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr for a profit – leaving Chelsea without ever playing a single Chelsea game.
After two years in the Middle East, it appears Angelo could now be on the move again. Ange Postecoglou wants to keep him, but South American reporter Edu Burgos claims Borussia Dortmund are pushing.
He has posted on X: “Dortmund is exploring the signing of Angelo Gabriel. Al Nassr values his departure at €30m [£25m]. For Postecoglou, he is one of his most important pieces, but they will consider any exit.”
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How has Angelo Gabriel fared since his permanent Chelsea exit?
The Brazilian attacker has enjoyed two years learning from supreme attacking talents like Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, Kingsley Coman and, of course, former Chelsea attacker Joao Felix, who has starred in Saudi Arabia.
Indeed, Al Nassr won the Saudi Pro League ahead of Al Hilal last season. Felix had a hand in 45 goals, and it earned Chelsea a £4m fee. But what of Angelo? Well, still only 21, he’s played 79 times for Al Nassr.
Alongside a league title in a league that is improving with every transfer window, Angelo has had a hand in 33 goals. An impressive return, making it a surprise that Dortmund might only have to pay £25m.
Now, Chelsea’s owners may have to watch on in horror as Angelo gets the chance – and indeed, the stage – to show Chelsea made a mistake in letting him go just one season after signing him from Santos.
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