It would be safe to say that Chelsea have made their fair share of mistakes in recent years, which is why they find themselves in the position that they do today. Of course, their sudden decline started following the change in ownership but that does not mean that they did not make bad decisions before that.
One such decision appears to have been not signing Jude Bellingham when he was available for a bargain fee. And it appears that Frank Lampard wanted him at Chelsea during his first stint as the manager of the club.
It looks like the club were not keen on shelling out a £20 million transfer fee on a youngster like Bellingham at that point in time. In hindsight, it has proven to be a major mistake on their part and one that the Blues must regret.
As reported by Birmingham Live, Lampard said while talking on the Obi One Podcast:
"“When I was managing at Chelsea I was desperate to bring Jude Bellingham in. But I couldn’t get it through upstairs – the idea of paying £20m for someone his age (at the time)…”"
Chelsea refused to sign £114m Real Madrid superstar for £20m
Bellingham left Birmingham City as a 17-year-old in order to join Borussia Dortmund for an initial transfer fee believed to be around £25 million. The English club went as far as to retire his number 22 shirt.
Bellingham would grow immensely during his time at Borussia Dortmund. He won the Bundesliga Player of the Season last time around and made a €134 million move to Real Madrid in the summer.
If there were any doubts as to whether he would be a success in the Spanish capital, there are none anymore. Bellingham has made an unbelievable start to life at Real Madrid and might have already established himself as the face of the club. If he can continue on this path, there are multiple trophies and Ballon d’Or awards awaiting his future. And to think Chelsea did not want to sign him for a £20 million fee just a few years back.