Omeruo Reveals What He Told Chelsea Before Move To Leganes; Real Madrid Star Best Player He Has Faced

Published: December 05, 2019

Super Eagles defender Kenneth Omeruo was on the books of Chelsea for seven and a half years after joining the club from Nigerian Professional Football League outfit Sunshine Stars.

A seasoned Nigeria international with appearances in two World Cups, the center back never played an official game for the Stamford Bridge outfit and spent time on loan at ADO Den Haag, Middlesbrough, Kasimpasa and Alanyaspor, before joining Leganes on a temporary basis for the 2018-2019 season.

Having previously played on loan for clubs in England, Netherlands and Turkey, Omeruo has revealed that he pleaded with Chelsea higher-ups to sanction his transfer to La Liga, which is the top ranked European League by UEFA.

''Every year I thought I would have the opportunity to play at Chelsea, but in the end it didn’t come. So last season I told them: 'Let me go play in La Liga and test if I have the quality','' Omeruo explained to Spanish sports daily Diario AS.

Leganes made Omeruo's permanent in the summer transfer window, paying Chelsea a reported five million euros to end their association with the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winner.

''I had several options, but the coach of that time (Mauricio Pellegrino) gave me a lot of confidence and told me that he wanted me to stay. The club made an effort to sign me. I didn’t think they could buy me from Chelsea, but they did it.''

Omeruo has played against Atlético Madrid's Joao Félix, Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez and Real Madrid's Karim Benzema in La Liga.

Asked the best player he has faced, the Leganes number 4 did not think twice before answering : ''Benzema''.

Omeruo has played a total of 37 games in La Liga since his debut, logging 3,224 minutes and has received ten yellow cards.

Igho Kingsley