A former Blackburn Rovers loanee has recently been announced as Chelsea’s new centre-back and their first signing, ahead of an exciting Premier League campaign.
Tosin Adarabioyo is the defender in question, with his talent displayed at Fulham clearly impressing the Blues. The ex-West Bromwich Albion loanee has played three full seasons in the Championship for several clubs. As a Manchester City youth graduate, big things are expected from the 26-year-old.
In the 2019/20 season, it was Blackburn who enjoyed the temporary acquisition of Adarabioyo; the centre-back played 34 times in the second tier for Rovers and once in the FA Cup. Three important goals were scored by the former City talent during a campaign that saw the Lancashire side finish 11th, just seven points away from a play-off place.
According to Fabrizio Romano, talks between the Fulham mainstay and Todd Boehly’s London side have been ongoing for the past month. Today it has now been confirmed that the 26-year-old will join the project as a new member of the squad. Subsequently, a medical has been booked for next week and the Italian journalist has therefore given his famous “here we go!”.
Adarabioyo has featured 132 times for the side that call Craven Cottage their home, and will now ply his trade at Stamford Bridge. This move has materialised ahead of an important campaign, with Europa Conference League football to juggle as well as a hunt for a Champions League place.
The Englishman has had plenty of experience in the second division with Blackburn and with Albion. However, his most impressive EFL achievement came in the 2021/22 season. The 26-year-old played 44 matches in total and helped Fulham to a league title and immediate promotion back to the Premier League.
Writer’s View
This move is an exceptional piece of business by Chelsea. The London side are finally starting to deviate from their somewhat ineffective model of bringing in all the young, sought-after talents and trying to mould them together without the right leadership around them.
At 26, it’s strange to say that Adarabioyo is being brought in to add experience to the side. But, the central defender is also an astute pick-up as he has displayed excellent ball-carrying and ball-playing abilities for Fulham in recent years. Enzo Maresca, the new Chelsea head coach, loves this type of profile in a defender and will fit perfectly into his vision.
The former Leicester City head coach also has a great ‘blocker’ at his disposal with this move, assuming the medical goes as planned. Adarabioyo is very brave against attackers and will continue to put his body ‘on the line’ for his new club.
