If reports are to be believed then newly promoted side Huddersfield Town are now weighing up a move for Chelsea sensation, Abdul Rahman Baba. The Ghanaian international, it seems, still retains much of the potential in the eyes of most clubs despite the 23-year-old undergoing several bad patches in the past few seasons.
The Terriers have been the closest to Everton in terms of bringing in players this summer as David Wagner eyes a strong start to the season. Compared to Newcastle United and Brighton & Hove Albion, the sides that won the Championship and were the first one to qualify for the Premier League last season and are struggling to land their priority targets, Huddersfield have surprisingly done a mammoth task.
The £100 million that the Terriers received for qualifying in the top-flight football has been put to use in bringing in Danish centre-half Zanka from FC Copenhagen, English full-back Scott Malone from Fulham, American midfielder Danny Williams from Reading FC, Congo winger Elias Kachunga from FC Ingolstadt on loan, Tom Ince from Derby County, Benin forward Steven Mounie from Montpellier and Belgian forward Laurent Depoitre from FC Porto.
And given their determination in the transfer market, Baba’s deal doesn’t seem a distant possibility at all. The left-back returned to Chelsea following a disappointing season from Bundesliga side FC Schalke, which was slashed half by injuries that he incurred during the African Cup of Nations. Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is unlikely to include him in his grand plans for next season, which means he will have to look for game time elsewhere.
While it is difficult to gauge if Chelsea are done with him already, we expect the London club to leave him temporarily for the moment. Back in 2015, the Blues had to shell out a significant amount of £14 million to Bundesliga side FC Augsburg, which further rose to £21.7 million and they wouldn’t want to just sell him after two years.
Baba had a decent start in his debut season with the Blues where he managed 15 appearances but Chelsea’s nightmarish campaign ended with them in the 10th position that season, and he was loaned off to Schalke. There too, he left after playing 13 games and returned injured.
Likened by many to Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale, The African defender has the perfect blend of speed and composure from wide areas and is touted by many as the next star in world football. If Chelsea decides to sell him, it wouldn’t be for lesser than £22 million at least as they would want to recoup their investment.
