'And then Chelsea came' - PSV chief admits Madueke's return to England was unstoppable

PSV Eindhoven general manager Marcel Brands has admitted that there was little he could do to prevent Noni Madueke sealing a transfer to Chelsea.

Brands stressed that the Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace academy product was desperate to return to England to be reunited with his family. 

Madueke swapped PSV Eindhoven for Chelsea in the January transfer window, penning a seven-and-a-half-year deal, with a club option for the 2030-2031 season. 

His transfer to Chelsea was questioned by the loyal PSV fans and even Dutch pundits as the club had already sold one of their key players, Cody Gakpo to Liverpool. 

The Eindhoven club laughed all the way to the back with Madueke's transfer to the Londoners as they got double his initial asking price. 

"Madueke actually wanted to go back to England for a long time," Brands told De PSV Supporter .

"He missed his family and also rehabilitated in England with his injury for eight weeks. And then Chelsea came.

"We thought we might receive twenty million euros. However, the offer of forty million could no longer be refused."

Madueke initially struggled for game time following his move to Stamford Bridge but broke into the starting lineup with the appointment of Frank Lampard as coach on a caretaker basis. 

The England U21 international of Nigerian descent started five of the last six games played by Chelsea in the Premier League. 

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

Photo Credit: chelseafc.com

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