It’s hard to make a name for yourself in Chelsea’s bloated squad. Recruited for €27 million last summer, Lesley Ugochukwu nevertheless showed off his power and technique in Chelsea’s midfield last season. Author of fifteen appearances with the Blues under Mauricio Pochettino, the Rennes native saw his English season slowed down by a hamstring injury that kept him off the pitch for a few months.
Having returned to competition at the very end of the season, the Rennes native still played Chelsea’s last two Premier League matches. Selected by Thierry Henry for the Olympic Games, the Blues’ number 16 was recalled by his club before the start of the Paris Olympics to prepare for the season with the London club. Good news for the player ahead of the new season? Not necessarily.
Chelsea to loan Ugochukwu… without option to buy
As we mentioned in the middle of July, Chelsea’s desire is to loan their midfielder for an additional season to allow him to gain playing time, something that Enzo Maresca, the new Blues coach, cannot guarantee him today. After having been announced in Everton’s sights, it is another Premier League club that is about to grab the prize. As revealed by The Athleticit is Southampton who should recover the talented French midfielder, who also scored in a friendly with Chelsea a few days ago against Inter Milan (1-1).
The Saints are in advanced discussions with their counterparts at Chelsea to complete the player’s loan. According to our information, it would be a loan without an option to buy. There would only be a few details left to settle to ratify the operation. As a reminder, Southampton is back in the Premier League after a season spent in the Championship last year. There, Ugochukwu will meet another Frenchman, namely Sekou Mara. However, the latter is leaving and could return to Ligue 1 with Strasbourg…
