Tosin Adarabioyo is putting the finishing touches on his move to Chelsea, despite looking destined to sign for Newcastle United.
The 26-year-old was on course to sign for the Magpies, with Toon officials confident that they were going to get a deal done for the Fulham defender. Tosin Adarabioyo was very appealing to Eddie Howe, given the fact that he was available on a free transfer.
But his ball-playing ability and physicality also made him stand out, yet it is now Chelsea who are going to benefit from those attributes.
They have swooped in and stolen Tosin, with the Blues offering better terms to tempt him to Stamford Bridge.
How Chelsea view Tosin Adarabioyo
Now that deal is nearing completion, with the Daily Mail reporting that he was undergoing his Chelsea medical on Tuesday.
They have also provided details on how Chelsea view Tosin as a player, as they prepare to pip Newcastle United to his signature.
According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea see Tosin as a good value for money addition, as they look to replace Thiago Silva.
They add that Chelsea are aware that Tosin is not at Silva’s level right now, but they believe he has ‘significant potential’ and can improve as a player.
Tosin snub will massively impact Newcastle’s summer transfer plans
That ‘potential’ is what will have made Tosin appealing to Newcastle, as well as the fact he was available on a free transfer.
But whether he realises that potential or not, it will not be happening in a black and white shirt. The Magpies have missed out, which is a major blow to the club’s transfer plans.
They will now need to decide whether they are going to sign a second centre-back after Lloyd Kelly, and if so that will influence how much money they can spend on other arrivals. Finances will likely be the decisive factor, so it would not be a surprise if Newcastle held off any additional centre-back plans until later in the summer.
The Magpies have had other centre-backs on their radar heading into the summer, but the likes of Ousmane Diomande and Dean Huijsen will come at a price. Newcastle might have to wait until they have made some other signings to see if their budget will stretch enough to bring either of them in.
The big frustration is that Tosin would have got more minutes at St James’ Park. There would have been a plan in place for him to eventually replace Fabian Schar and become Sven Botman’s long-term partner.
Instead, it is hard to see him getting in the Chelsea starting XI. But that is his problem, with Tosin opting to remain in West London rather than move to the North East.
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