Yakubu Reveals How Injury Scuppered Dream Chelsea Move

Yakubu Reveals How Injury Scuppered Dream Chelsea Move

Sampson Adedeji

Former Super Eagles striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni has opened up on how an untimely injury denied him the chance to join English Premier League giants Chelsea, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

Speaking on the Home Turf Podcast, the former Portsmouth and Everton star disclosed that he was close to sealing a move worth around £15 million before he ruptured his Achilles tendon an injury that kept him sidelined for almost a year.

 “I was unlucky not to play for Chelsea. I got a chance to sign for Chelsea, and then I got injured,” Yakubu recounted.

 “I ruptured my Achilles and I didn’t play for 11 months. They were negotiating a fee for me, about £15 million, so I didn’t play, and that was gone.”

Emotionally reflecting on the moment the transfer collapsed, the former Nigerian international admitted he was devastated.

“I was crying in the dressing room because it was my time to play for one of the bigger clubs.”

Yakubu remains one of Africa’s most prolific strikers in Premier League history, scoring 95 league goals the highest by any Nigerian.

He played for clubs including Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, Everton and Blackburn Rovers before retiring from professional football.