Two of the three most prominent members of Chelsea’s Bomb Squad failed to secure Deadline Day moves, as Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi both remain with the club as things stand. There are a few notable windows still open (Saudi Pro League, Turkish Super League, and the Greek Super League among them), but as of right now, both veterans remain in footballing limbo: well paid, but not playing.
Sterling was linked with Fulham towards the end of the window, but our friendly neighbors opted to sign Chelsea
teammate Tyrique George instead. Meanwhile, Disasi was brought up as a potential target for West Ham, but the Hammers chose to sign Igor Julio instead. The Brighton center back was all set to join Crystal Palace, but with Marc Guéhi (surprisingly) staying at Palace, that was no longer necessary.
Interest in Ben Chilwell seemed to be about as sparse this summer as in the aforementioned two Bomb Squaders, but the left back was able to take advantage of the BlueCo family and join RC Strasbourg on a permanent transfer in the final hours. It’s unclear how much, if anything, BlueCo are moving from the left pocket to the right pocket as the “fee” for this transfer, but Chilly has signed a two-year contract at RCSA, which is exactly how long he had left on his Chelsea deal as well.
To make room, Strasbourg have sent young left back Ishé Samuels-Smith on loan to Swansea City. ISS also had joined Strasbourg this summer from Chelsea, for a fee of around £6.5m last month. The 19-year-old had not made an official appearances for RCSA.
