Chelsea suffered double blow with €55m bombshell - but it was a blessing in disguise

18 Sept 2026 16:40 BST | 6 min read

Tom Weber | Writer

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Lamine Camara wasn't the only AS Monaco player Chelsea failed to sign this summer, but it now looks as though they won't live to regret this defeat in the transfer market.

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The Blues yet again had a very busy summer, and things went right down to the wire even though they initially hoped for a quiet end to the window. Shortly before the deadline, star midfielder Enzo Fernandez joined Man City in a joint Premier League record deal.

Chelsea tried to bring in Camara as a replacement, but things, famously, didn't pan out that way when Monaco pulled the plug on this €55 million transfer at the last minute because they preferred to sell Folarin Balogun to Everton instead.

Current ETV

Lamine Camara

M, DM (C)

Monaco

Lamine Camara

M, DM (C)

Monaco

ETV Range

€26.9M - €32.8M

Of course, that didn't materialise because the American had a last-minute change of heart, leaving everyone unhappy. Crucially, it left Chelsea without a replacement for Fernandez.

The previously good relationship between Chelsea and Monaco has broken down due to this Deadline Day saga, and it has now been revealed that Camara wasn't the only player the Blues attempted to sign from the Ligue 1 outfit.

Chelsea snubbed by Gomes

According to L'Equipe, Chelsea pursued a deal for young defender Melvin Gomes, showing "strong interest" and even making him a lucrative contract offer.

However, the 18-year-old turned down a transfer to West London in favour of staying in the principality. Gomes has been with Monaco since age 15 and wants to continue his development at the club.

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His decision to turn down Chelsea is now set to be handsomely rewarded, with the French publication revealing that he will sign his first professional contract with Monaco this week.

The France U19 starlet, who is also eligible for Cape Verde, will commit to the club for the next three years with a view to eventually breaking into Filipe Luis' senior side. At Chelsea, he may have had to take the Strasbourg route to first-team football.

Missing out on Gomes is unlikely to have any lasting negative ramifications for the Blues, considering that they have Josh Acheampong, who is regarded as a huge talent and the future of the club.

Gomes is a similar type of profile to Acheampong. He is primarily a centre-back but can also feature at right-back. He wouldn't have challenged the 20-year-old for minutes immediately, but they could have cannibalised each other's playing time in the future.

That, however, won't happen now, and Chelsea are better off for it. As FootballTransfers explained on Thursday, Xabi Alonso's strong push to convince Acheampong to stay this summer could go down as one of the best decisions in recent club history.

The England youth international looks the real deal. If he develops as expected, he will save Chelsea a lot of money, which they may otherwise have spent on a big-name defender.

Chelsea's missing out on Gomes was probably a blessing in disguise.