- Chelsea wanted to sign Man Utd’s Kobbie Mainoo
- English midfielder wasn’t interested
- Why he made the right call
Kobbie Mainoo reportedly had no interest in joining Chelsea last year despite a lack of game time at Manchester United. The Blues eyed the English midfielder who had been reduced to a bit-part role under Ruben Amorim.
The 21-year-old failed to win over Amorim, who insisted the player was part of his plans. That didn’t add up, given he spent the majority of his reign on the substitutes bench.
With the World Cup a year away, Mainoo saw his dreams of representing England on the biggest stage jeopardised. He didn’t make a single start in the Premier League under Amorim this season.
Mainoo snubbed Chelsea
Mainoo burst back into life and into United’s starting lineup after Michael Carrick replaced Amorim in January. He’s since been a mainstay in the Reds’ midfield and scored the winner in a 3-2 win over Liverpool, which confirmed UEFA Champions League qualification.
The England international had signed a new long-term deal just days before that game. This ended over a year of speculation over his future.
Chelsea were keen on signing the United academy graduate permanently. Their efforts were in vain, though, as Laurie Whitwell of The Athletic claims that an enquiry to the club about a permanent switch for around £40m “held no appeal to Mainoo.”
That proved to be the right call as the Blues have nosedived since the turn of the year. Much like the Red Devils, they too sacked their manager, Enzo Maresca, in January.
Liam Rosenior’s appointment had been doomed from the start and the west Londoners have finished the season without European qualification. As for United, they have returned to Europe’s elite club competition with a third-placed finish.
Relief
The fact that Amorim continuously snubbed Mainoo despite poor results should have been enough to sack him. He is a player the team should be built around and Carrick acknowledged this from the very start of his tenure.
Carrick and Mainoo will both be helping United try and challenge for major trophies next season. It’s fair to say that the Reds are now ahead of Chelsea in their plans to be back competing at the top of the table.
Instead, it’s the Stamford Bridge outfit that find themselves potentially fighting to keep one of their star men. Enzo Fernandez’s future is in doubt amid links to Real Madrid and Manchester City.
