Sports
Ex-Chelsea Talent Yann Gueho, Tipped As Next Lionel Messi, Retired at 22
Over the last two decades, Chelsea have repeatedly been guilty of failing to realise they were sitting on a goldmine until it was too late. The most glaring examples are Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah – two players the Blues sold for peanuts before they blossomed into two of the finest talents in Premier League history at rival clubs.
For Chelsea, “be careful what you wish for” has become a warning that rings painfully true. But sometimes, a player’s future is not entirely in the hands of his parent club, and that was the case for one starlet from their famed Cobham academy. Tipped to become the next Lionel Messi, he was once described as a mix of the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, Eden Hazard, and Gareth Bale – the kind of praise that made expectations spiral into the stratosphere before he was old enough to shoulder it.
Needless to say, that potential was never fully realised. In fact, the player in question retired at just 22 and spent the next nine years of his life bouncing between psychiatric wards, three separate prison sentences, and even a spell in intensive care, as his life fell from Premier League wonderkid dream to cautionary tale.
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Chelsea Youth Player Tipped to Become Next Lionel Messi Retired at 22
Former Chelsea academy star Jordan Buck remembers teammate Yann Gueho as a scintillating combination of “Gareth Bale, Eden Hazard, and Ronaldinho.”
During a recent interview with talkSPORT, the failed wonderkid’s friend revealed that he had also heard conversations around him as a potential next Lionel Messi or Kylian Mbappe, with it seeming an easy bet to make that he’d one day win a Ballon d’Or.
“He [Yann] actually used to do skills. So stepovers, flip-flaps, flicking the ball over people’s heads mid-game, those were actually part of his game to beat players 1v1. To just picture it, he used to just glide past players. He’d pick the ball up between the edge of the box and the closest side of the centre circle, pick the ball up about here and would end up by the edge of the box in seven, eight seconds, go past five or six players like it was water, knife through butter.
“It was insane to watch, absolutely insane to watch. A very special player. That’s how I would describe him, a combination of those three players [Bale, Hazard, and Ronaldinho].”
Alexandre Monnier, a former reserve coach at Paris FC, also told The Athletic: “What I can say is that in his last moments on the pitch playing football, he hadn’t lost anything. It was a pleasure to see him touch the ball. At the moment he accelerates, you can see Messi, you can see Neymar, you can see Mbappe.”
Damien Dussaut, who was with Yann at Clairefontaine, the national training centre for the most talented young players in the Ile-de-France region, told the publication: “I can only say that you had to see to understand. Because it’s hard when you say to people that Yann Gueho is a better talent than Mbappe, than (Ousmane) Dembele.
Everyone says, ‘You’re crazy, he doesn’t play football’. But I say, ‘Guys, you had to see what talent he had, he could win the game alone.’ He was like a magician.”
Gueho, who left Cobham at the age of 16, had stints at Lille and Nantes in France but never made a senior career appearance. In addition to his talent, the retired winger suffered from a series of off-pitch problems that were ultimately waved on as poor attitude at the time.
Yann Gueho’s Life After Retirement: Prison, Psych Ward & ICU
Gueho has served three separate prison sentences since leaving Stamford Bridge in 2011, and has also spent time in (as well as escaped) a psychiatric hospital. Six months after leaving Chelsea, on his 17th birthday, Yann walked into a shop in Maisons-Alfort, less than a half a mile from his home, wearing a balaclava and armed with a blade.
One of his former coaches told The Athletic that Yann had “followed his friend and was in the wrong place at the wrong time”. Others say the teenager had been mixing with criminals for years, and it was a matter of time before he got into serious trouble, which unfolded at a perfume shop, with his accomplice never being found or convicted.
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Yet, it wasn’t until 2016, when he was 22-years-old, when Gueho was diagnosed with bipolar disorder – a mental health condition that causes extreme mood shifts, and thus explained some of his outbursts that led to him never quite being able to break the glass ceiling that was academy football.
Even more devastatingly, the former member of France’s famous Clairefontaine academy was undergoing treatment for his disorder when he was left in intensive care following a knife attack last November. A judicial investigation was opened on November 12, resulting in a man being charged with attempted murder and gang violence. A woman was also charged with gang violence and placed under witness assistance status for attempted murder.
Manchester United look set to miss out on one of their targets with a Premier League rival now in advanced talks to secure his signature.
Unfortunately for United, they will be competing with a host of Premier League sides when it comes to new additions in the summer transfer window.
The World Cup adds a new dimension to the window, with players competing at the tournament likely to attract interest from a number of different sides due to there being so many eyes on them.
Players that perform well at the tournament often get big moves in the summer window, with scouts from clubs all around the world attending.
One player starring at the World Cup was a target for United, but it appears that he is now going to join one of their Premier League rivals.
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Man Utd to Miss Out on Target
According to a report from Caught Offside, Osasuna winger Víctor Munoz is in advanced talks to join Newcastle United in the summer transfer window.
Manchester United were reportedly one of the sides interested in signing Munoz, but his priority has always been game time. Newcastle have made a strong case that he will play regularly.
Newcastle are set to pay in the region of £35m, prioritising a move to sign a winger after Anthony Gordon was sold to Barcelona.
Munoz, described as ‘elite’, didn’t appear to be a huge priority for Manchester United, but it could have been a smart deal at a reasonable price.
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Man Utd Focusing on Midfield Additions
Manchester United are clearly looking to prioritise midfielders in the summer transfer window.
Reports have suggested that they are seriously pushing to bring West Ham star Mateus Fernandes to the club, while they have also agreed a deal to sign Ederson from Atalanta.
United are believed to have pulled out of the race to sign Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali and Elliot Anderson.
It appears that Fernandes and Ederson could be the two targets for the midfield position, but there is still a chance they look to bring in a third before the window closes.
Manchester United are eyeing a move for a £100m star as they consider launching a £120m double transfer raid on West Ham United to sign Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville, according to the Telegraph.
Man United have wrapped up their first signing of the summer already, with Ederson set to complete a move to Old Trafford next month after the Red Devils reached a full agreement to sign the Brazilian from Atalanta in a deal worth less than £40m.
United identified the central midfield position as their biggest transfer priority as they look to complete a major rebuild in that area following Casemiro’s departure, with Manuel Ugarte likely to join him through the exit door.
One more player will arrive in the position after Ederson, and it could even be two should Ugarte complete a move away, with full focus right now on signing Fernandes.
Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that United are in official talks with both the player and West Ham over a switch to Old Trafford, with the Portugal international keen on the move.
The Red Devils are also considering a move for the Netherlands international Summerville, which could see them launch a £120m bid for the Hammers duo.
Man United ‘Strongly Interested’ in Morgan Rogers
While United have interest in a potential double swoop on West Ham, they are also targeting a player from another English club in Morgan Rogers of Aston Villa.
The Red Devils had been linked with the England international earlier in the summer, but recent reports have suggested that Arsenal are the frontrunners for his signature and that the player is keen to join the Premier League champions.
However, a new report from the Telegraph says that United have ‘strong interest’ in signing Rogers as they look to strengthen their attacking options.
Michael Carrick and director of football Jason Wilcox have both worked with the 23-year-old ‘superstar’ in the past at Middlesbrough and Manchester City respectively, so the interest in him isn’t a shock.
Rogers’ £100m price tag is a big issue though, with United earmarking the majority of their summer transfer budget to bolster their midfield.
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Man United Winger Move Depends on Rashford
The report adds that any move for a winger, or a forward who can play out wide and centrally like Rogers, will depend on the future of Marcus Rashford.
The England international is available for £40m this summer due to a release clause, after Barcelona failed to activate their buy option on the forward.
The release clause is valid for everyone except Manchester City and Liverpool, with the Red Devils only willing to entertain permanent exits for the 28-year-old following his loan switch to Barcelona.
United need to offload the £325,000-a-week player if they are to be able to bring in a new forward, with Rashford keen on another move abroad following his successful spell at the Camp Nou.
Several Premier League clubs are thought to be monitoring his situation.
Crystal Palace are reportedly eyeing a move to sign a Celtic star in the summer transfer window, according to Sky Sports reporter Sacha Tavolieri.
The Eagles will be looking to enjoy an impressive summer transfer window as they look to back new manager Pierre Sage, who joined the club earlier this month.
Sage came in to replace Oliver Glasner, and he has some big shoes to fill, considering the Austrian manager won three trophies during his time at the club.
Glasner decided to leave Selhurst Park at the end of his contract just days after they lifted the Europa Conference League title.
The former Palace boss often complained about the lack of ambition from the club in terms of recruitment, so it will be interesting to see how much they back Sage this summer.
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Crystal Palace Eyeing Celtic Man
According to a report from Sky Sports journalist Tavolieri, Crystal Palace are in the race to sign Celtic midfielder Arne Engels in the summer transfer window.
Palace are hoping to convince Engels, described as ‘outstanding’ by former Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers, to join the club and beat Nottingham Forest to his signature.
Reports suggested last month that Engels is one to watch for the summer transfer window, with a departure from the club planned.
Although a Belgian international, Engels failed to make the World Cup squad for this summer.
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Palace May Need Midfield Reinforcements
One of Crystal Palace’s priority positions in the summer transfer window could be to bring in a new midfielder for Sage.
Adam Wharton has been heavily linked with a move away from Selhurst Park, with reports claiming that Liverpool are plotting a move to secure his signature this summer.
Daichi Kamada is also out of contract, although Palace have confirmed they are in talks over a new deal. If both leave, they will be desperately in need of midfield reinforcements.
Palace also need to bring in players that are going to suit Sage’s style, so it could be a busy summer transfer window for the Eagles.
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