Chelsea will try to get back to winning ways after suffering their first loss of the Premier League season to Arsenal last weekend, as Xabi Alonso's side looks to keep pace in the title race against Hull City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Chelsea target Lamine Camara (Picture: AFP) Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara has lifted the lid for the first time on his failed move to Chelsea on transfer deadline day. Having sanctioned Enzo Fernandez’s £120million move to Manchester City, Chelsea identified Camara as their replacement for the Argentina international. After failing with two offers earlier on deadline day, Chelsea finally reached an agreement with Monaco worth €55million (£47.1m) in the closing stages of the transfer window. Monaco had also agreed a £40m deal with Everton to sell Folarin Balogun but the Premier League club raised concerns during the striker’s medical which threatened to scupper the move. Sign up for In The Mixer, Metro's football newsletter Get exclusive analysis and previews of the biggest games every Friday. Sign up now for free. Everton eventually decided to push on with their deal to sign Balogun, which then prompted Monaco to pull out of their agreement with Chelsea over their deal for Camara. Balogun then opted not to join Everton due to their concerns during his medical, but with no time left in the window, Camara’s move to Chelsea was unable to be revived. Now speaking for the first time since the dramatic turn of events, Camara insisted he has tried to ‘turn the page’ and let his performances on the pitch do the talking. Camara saw a deadline day move to Chelsea collapse (Picture: Getty) ‘It’s true that it was a hectic moment, but as you know, that is part of being a professional footballer. I tried to be professional and not think too much about it,’ he told reporters. ‘Did I want to leave? That makes you think that I wasn’t living in the present with the team. ‘There was the possibility [of me joining Chelsea]. At the last minute, it didn’t happen […] if another chance [to leave for a big club] doesn’t come up, it is because I threw in the towel or didn’t work hard enough. Chelsea failed to land a replacement for Enzo Fernandez (Picture: Getty) ‘Football moves quickly and maybe other chances will come. For now, I am focused on what I can bring and on the season at Monaco.’ Separately, Camara revealed he had confided in former Chelsea midfielder Denis Zakaria following the failed transfer move. ‘He is always there, always in his leadership role as a big brother,’ the Senegalese midfielder added. ‘He spoke to me a lot the day after about what happened with the transfer. They helped me a lot to focus on the match versus PSG. Denis has played at top clubs; he says that these things happen.’ Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso (Picture: Getty) Speaking shortly after the window closed, Camara’s agent, former Premier League forward Diomansy Kamara, struck a less diplomatic tone about the failed move. ‘We have to get out of this logic where the African player can sometimes give the feeling that he is just a commodity: you buy it, you set its price, you negotiate its future and, too often, your will seems to go to the background,’ Kamara wrote on Instagram. ‘Our African players deserve respect. The respect of their work. The respect of their career. Respecting their ambitions. The respect of their voices. ‘A transfer shouldn’t just be a matter of two clubs and numbers. Behind every contract, there’s a man, a career, dreams and life choices. ‘The fact that clubs can sometimes have the final word is a reality of professional football. But one question remains: what about the career and the will of the player? ‘The player must be able to be heard and respected in the decisions that determine his future. Let’s never forget what’s important: behind every success, it’s the players who write history first.’ For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source
LEWIS STEELE: At the end of a turbulent transfer window, most observers were in agreement. Everton had the worst summer of any Premier League club and were a team in crisis.
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