£39m Premier League midfielder hints Chelsea wanted him in the summer
Chelsea’s pursuit of a new midfield signing is ongoing after the end of the summer window, and a Premier League maestro has just hinted that he rejected a move to Stamford Bridge.
Alex Scott looks likely to be the man that Chelsea will eventually sign, after the Blues gave Man City the green light to sign Enzo Fernandez for £125m. Scott is said to be keen on a move to Chelsea in January.
A £100m fee will be required for the England star, after Chelsea had agreed a £47m fee for Lamine Camara. Now, it has emerged that a £39m Premier League signing rejected bigger clubs in the summer.
Brentford’s Jordan Henderson replacement hints at Chelsea links
Jordan Henderson has quickly emerged as a fan favourite at Stamford Bridge after his two goals against Bournemouth on Saturday, even if Peter Crouch has criticised him for touching the badge after scoring.
Amid the noise that Henderson was joining Chelsea, Brentford moved quickly. They spent £39m to sign Mali international Mamadou Sangare from Lens, a player who had been linked with a move to Chelsea.
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Speaking to Sky Sports this week, Sangare admits he rejected bigger clubs to join Brentford. While he does not name Chelsea or any other sides out of respect, Chelsea may well have been an interested party.
“Yeah, it’s true [rejecting ‘elite’ clubs for Brentford]. But I’m not going to give any names, out of respect. There were a lot of clubs. For me, the most important thing was to know where I could progress.
“Brentford was the best place for my development. A coach who really wanted me was something that was important to me. That’s why I chose Brentford,” Sangare confirmed in an interview with Sky Sports.
Henderson or Sangare? Chelsea have made the right move
Sangare has made a solid start to life at Brentford, even if he has only been a substitute for The Bees in their last couple of Premier League games. Against Chelsea, Sangare came on for the last 20 minutes.
| 2026-27 stats | Jordan Henderson (Chelsea) | Mamadou Sangaré (Brentford) |
| Pass Accuracy | 82.8% | 79.9% |
| Accurate Passes / 90 | 48.0 | 35.8 |
| Line-Breaking Passes | 13 | 4 |
| Chances Created | 2 | 0 |
| Recoveries / 90 | 6.0 | 4.8 |
| Tackles / 90 | 1.0 | 4.3 |
| Fouls Committed / 90 | 0.0 | 2.1 |
Had Chelsea been presented with a straight shootout between Henderson and Sangare, well, they have made the right choice. Sangare is a good player, but at £39m, he is a risk and might not be a success.
For exactly zero pounds, Henderson adds immediate quality and experience when it was needed most at Chelsea. A top-quality player, a manager on the pitch, Henderson was the right move over Sangare.
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