Transfer News: Chelsea lead the race to sign OGC Nice forward Deji Sotona
According to transfer news on Football Insider (h/t ESPN), Chelsea are currently leading the race to sign OGC Nice star Deji Sotona.
The Blues are also doling out chances to deserving stars of the youth academy and the development squad. Mason Mount, Reece James, and Trevoh Chalobah are just three of several examples. However, they are also attracting the best talent to Stamford Bridge.
Xavier Mbuyamba was a classic example of that, and the London club now has another one on the radar. 19-year-old Deji Sotona has caught the eye at Nice since leaving Manchester United. The youngster featured in the U-23 and U-18 side at Old Trafford before departing last summer.
However, he is already plotting an exit from the French club. The Irishman is apparently partly frustrated since the exit of manager Patrick Vieira. Chelsea are now thought to be frontrunners in the race to land the young talent’s signature.
Too many cooks spoil the broth
Sotona could be highly talented and a future star but it is really hard to see a future for him at Chelsea. The promotion of young stars coupled with signing other young talents from Europe has seen our frontline overflowing with talent. Tuchel can currently pick a frontline out of Kai Havertz, Romelu Lukaku, Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic, and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Add the Nice star to this, and it will not do anything but bring about another selection headache to the gaffer. Although it is a good problem to have, there is no guarantee that the 19-year-old shall flourish on his return to England.
Marina Granovskaia could offload some stars which can then result in making space for the youngster, but that too looks far-fetched at the moment. There could be several reasons to sign the former Manchester United starlet but there are enough reasons to not pursue a move too.
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A young winger with little to no experience of the top flight would either have to prove his worth in our developmental squads and if not that, then on a potential loan spell (or spells) in the future. Some of the brightest talent we have possessed in the past have gone down similar routes to no avail, with Kevin de Bruyne perhaps being the biggest example.
Regardless, a decision should only be made after a careful evaluation of the squad. Moreover, it might not hurt to just monitor the player for now rather than sealing a deal. A potential deal is always on the cards, but unless another club is pushing hard for his signature, there is no reason to complete a quick-fire move for Sotona anytime soon.