Alexandre Pato to Chelsea can be considered a mini coup for the club considering the sort of competition they faced to acquire his services as well as the current predicament of the club which isn’t really attractive for any top player. Somehow, Chelsea managed to convince the Brazilian that his future lies at Stamford Bridge and not somewhere like Liverpool or Roma and had it all in the bag when suddenly the Chelsea interim manager, Guus Hiddink, pours the proverbial cold water on the deal by suggesting there is no rush in completing the deal and that there were some complications regarding the agreement.
Guus says Pato is in London with the final paperwork still to be completed. He says there is no rush. #CFC
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 29, 2016
The fact that this quote from Hiddink is the very first time any person related to Chelsea has acknowledged the possibility of Pato coming might be music to fans’ ears. But the very real possibility of losing out on Pato even after completion of his medical would be a major blow to the club. Hiddink has said that there isn’t any rush when there are literally three days left in the transfer window.
Pato had been chased ever since December by Chelsea and a collapse of the move would bear a great semblance to the John Stones saga in which Emenalo and co botched the transfer even after very public declaration of interest in the player. As an alternative, Chelsea then bought Djilobodji. He just left the club having amassed only 4 minutes of football for the club. Another such embarrassment would be the straw that broke the camel’s back with regard to the fans and will direct a whole lot of fury towards the distinctly below average Chelsea board.