Arsen Zakharyan confirmed he rejected an offer from Chelsea before joining Real Sociedad, claiming a move to Spain felt more interesting.
If anyone remembers Arsen Zakharyan, he was one of the first players to feature on Todd Boehly’s list of targets after taking over Chelsea last summer. The club even came close to signing him in 2022 as some complications due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict stalled a deal.
He remained on their radar heading into the January window, but complications got the better of the transfer again. Chelsea were eager to plot a move this summer, only for Zakharyan to choose Real Sociedad. He did surprise a few who have followed his progress while playing in Russia.
Zakharyan becomes the next player to open up on rejecting Chelsea’s offer. He has chosen a football project suitable for his career. The Blues have forged a reputation for signing the best young talents since Boehly’s takeover.
While the 20-year-old La Liga midfielder remained a player of interest, they must have felt puzzled after he joined Real Sociedad. As his comments on Fabrizio Romano’s tweet suggest, the Russian star has admitted to rejecting their offer for the La Liga side.
Arsen Zakharyan: “For me, it was more interesting to come to Real Sociedad than to Chelsea”. ⚪️🔵
“It was also a more realistic option. I realised that I was already a Real player when I signed, I was worried about some issues during the negotiation but now… here I’m”. pic.twitter.com/0vHaZfLq8A
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 14, 2023
Zakharyan said, “For me, it was more interesting to come to Real Sociedad than to Chelsea.”
“It was also a more realistic option. I realised that I was already a Real player when I signed, I was a bit worried about some issues during the negotiation but now, here I’m”.
Zakharyan is not the first player to open up about rejecting Chelsea. Recently, Norwegian winger Antonio Musa said something similar and then said he had to choose between money and his career path, as he decided on the latter.
French striker Alye Wahi also confirmed Chelsea’s offer and his subsequent rejection. The former Montpellier star scored 19 goals last season and then signed for Lens despite massive interest from England.
Similarly, 20-year-old La Liga midfielder chose a promising career path over a lucrative contract at Chelsea. Stamford Bridge seems flooded with young stars. Boehly has spent over a billion in the three windows since his takeover on new players, but the project appears haphazard.
