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Analysis
- 32 minutes ago
Transfer expert reveals why Chelsea completed BIZARRE Deadline Day deal
Cameron Smith
- 4 Sept 2025 15:00 BST
- 4 min read
News
Chelsea shocked fans on Transfer Deadline Day when they re-signed Ishe Samuels-Smith from Strasbourg for an undisclosed fee.
The 19-year-old moved from Stamford Bridge to the Ligue 1 side on 30 July, but he lasted just one month at the club being sold permanently back to Enzo Maresca’s team.
Current ETV
Ishé Samuels-Smith
D (CL)
Swansea
Ishé Samuels-Smith
D (CL)
Swansea
ETV Range
€1.1M - €1.7M
Samuels-Smith appeared in Strasbourg’s matchday squad for their clash against FC Metz on 17 August and their Europa Conference League play-off fixture versus Brondby four days later, but he failed to feature for the club before returning to Chelsea on Monday.
The former Everton academy starlet was immediately sent on loan to Swansea City and he will spend the duration of the 2025-26 campaign with the Championship outfit.
Samuels-Smith’s permanent departure to Strasbourg came as a slight surprise to Chelsea supporters, due to the fact he signed a contract extension in April, although his return to the club has led to rival fans questioning the ethics of the transfer.
However, BBC Sport reporter Nizaar Kinsella has revealed why Chelsea opted to re-sign Samuels-Smith on Deadline Day.
Why did Chelsea re-sign Ishe Samuels Smith?
In a post on X, Kinsella explained four reasons why the decision was taken for Samuels-Smith to return to Chelsea.
The first reason was due to the return of Ismael Doukoure. The 22-year-old had been frozen out over a “contract impasse” when Samuels-Smith arrived at Strasbourg, but he extended his deal by a further two years in late August and has now returned to the first-team fold.
Furthermore, Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell was purchased on a permanent deal on Deadline Day, adding increased competition at left-back.
The third reason is that BlueCo consider Samuels-Smith as a key player for the future and the decision was therefore taken for him to be loaned to Swansea for the season.
Finally, his move back to Chelsea is seen as a similar light to the one in which Tyler Dibling was allowed to leave the west London giants in order to rejoin Southampton in 2022 due to homesickness.
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