Nothing sums up another bizarre transfer window at Chelsea quite like this.
A striker Chelsea were prepared to buy for £38 million – and that in itself is a bit of a mystery given that he was hardly prolific during the 2023/24 campaign – would eventually depart for £25 million less than the Premier League powerhouses had put on the table.
When Samu Omorodion finally secured his route out of Atletico Madrid, his departure arrived to the tune of just £12.7 million.
FC Porto snapped up the broad-shouldered number nine in the final week of the window.
While Atletico did manage to come to an agreement with Chelsea over a tricky deal for Conor Gallagher, one suspects that the Spanish giants would have regretted their failure to rubber stamp a near-£40 million deal for a player they clearly valued at a lot lower.
Omorodion underwent a medical, HITC understands, but the move collapsed due to a disagreement over his contract.
Chelsea’s £38 million Samu Omorodion deal collapsed
Deco, now the sporting director at Barcelona, still has a lot of good connections at Porto.
He was the jewel in the crown of that outstanding Porto team of 2024. The one which conquered the Champions League under Jose Mourinho.
And, having witnessed Omorodion’s qualities first hand during a loan spell at Deportivo Alaves last season, Deco is tipping the Spain youth star to take his former stomping ground by storm.
“Samu Omorodion is an excellent signing,” Deco tells Sport TV of a striker who was also on the radars of Wolves and West Ham United. “I know him well from La Liga. He is an extremely powerful and strong player. He can make a difference at FC Porto due to his physical ability.
“I believe he was the most notable signing, a player who was difficult to bring in, as he belonged to Atlético Madrid. And, after an unsuccessful operation by Chelsea.”
Samu scored nine goals in 35 La Liga games for Alaves.
Two of those did come against Barcelona, however, with Deco now tipping him to make a similar impact in Portugal to the free-scoring Sporting Lisbon talisman Viktor Gyokeres.
“He similar, in fact (to Gyokeres). He’s physically strong, he can get to the goal easily because of his physical ability,” adds Deco. “Last season, against us, he scored a goal and had two or three chances.
He’s a player who causes a lot of problems. He’s very strong and he can have a significant impact in the Portuguese league.”
Chelsea now shift to Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres
Chelsea, of course, would end the window without managing the land any of their targets for the number nine role, leaving Enzo Maresca just as reliant upon the inconsistent Nicolas Jacksom as he was at the start of the window.
HITC can confirm, however, that the aforementied Gyokeres is one of the names on their wishlist heading into 2025.
Formerly of Swansea and Coventry City, the searing Swede has 50 goals already since joining Sporting just over a year ago though the Portuguese champions are publicly sticking to his £84 million release clause.
As for Omorodion – talented though he may be – Chelsea’s willingness to stump up £38 million was a source of much bemusement among Spanish football experts.
“How do you have the leading scorer in Spain going for £30 million and Omorodion going for £38 million?,” Terry Gibson said on El Tel and Jon’s La Liga Weekly podcast, Golden Boot winne Artem Dovbyk swapping Girona for Roma for nearly £10 million less.
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“(Omorodion has) potential. But there’s no way his value went from six million euros to £38 million on what he did at Alaves last season. No way.”
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