Tosin Adarabioyo turned down Newcastle at the eleventh hour and froze talks with AC Milan to sign for Chelsea. A number of factors contributed to this decision, one of which was the fact that Chelsea is based in London, and he knows the head of scouting, Joe Shield, who first spotted him and took him to Manchester City when he was only eight.
He didn't quite make the grades at Manchester City, and loan spells at West Brom and Blackburn followed before a permanent move to Fulham became his big break. This weekend, he made his first Premier League start for Chelsea and helped the team secure an impressive 3-0 win against London rivals West Ham United.
After the game, Tosin Adarabioyo spoke to Telecom Asia Sport on a number of issues, including how he has settled in, his relationship with his teammates, the growth of the Chelsea team, and striker Nicolas Jackson. The Senegalese striker came under intense scrutiny this summer with Chelsea linked to Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen. However, the deal could not be agreed upon, and Osimhen eventually moved to Galatasaray. But Jackson has not looked back; he has scored four goals in his first league games and provided an assist, ensuring that he has five contributions in his first five league matches.
When asked what makes his teammates special, Adarabioyo said: “Nicolas Jackson is top; he was top again today. Not only that, he works so hard for everyone. The beauty of Nicolas is that on good days he works hard, but even on bad days he works even harder. He doesn't let any talk distract him, and for me, that is very important.
When playing against him in training, it's really tough; he’s a top player, and performances like today go a long way to show that he’s one of the best. He has a good all-around game, but when the ball is at his feet and when he’s able to turn, that is when he really comes alive. He’s very good at dribbling and driving the ball forward.
One of the pleasing aspects of Chelsea this season has been the brand of football they are playing. Under former manager Mauricio Pochettino, they played reactive football. However, Maresca has transformed them into a possession-based team capable of hurting any opponent with the pace of players like Cole Palmer and Jadon Sancho.
When asked about the secret to the former Leicester City manager’s immediate impact, Adarabioyo said: “He gives us every single detail we need to go into the game. He doesn't leave anything out. He keeps focus and pays attention to the important things, ensuring we have all the information we need to improve. He is a simple manager with an eye for the finest details.”
Bet on football with 1xBetThere are those who have compared this Chelsea team to the great teams of the past that won the Champions League twice and multiple league titles. However, this is a different project, with new owners determined to restore the team to its previous high standards.
Speaking about development and how they have started, Adarabioyo hinted that they are only just beginning, as there is much more to come, especially given how everyone is fighting for a spot and ensuring they keep clean sheets.
He added: “Yeah, definitely, this week was a good performance, and it just shows that we are going places and working hard every day at the training ground. Normally, you need a top performance to get a clean sheet, score three goals, and take all your points.
For us, it's very pleasing to get that clean sheet as a defender, but that is also credit to the whole team, as we defend as a unit. To get a clean sheet, everyone needs to be performing well and maintaining high confidence levels. Even Nicolas Jackson mentioned that it was great to get a clean sheet, and it starts from the front and affects all of us. You can tell we are all just going for it and working hard to win it all.
In many ways, Chelsea has been able to assemble some of the best players from the Manchester City academy. Cole Palmer came through the ranks at the Etihad, and Tosin himself did as well, along with Jadon Sancho, who took a pay cut, refused to move abroad, and instead joined Chelsea in the summer.
His start to life has been sensational, with two assists in his first two games for the club. When asked how he has been settling in, the defender praised Sancho, who has adapted to life at Stamford Bridge like a duck to water.
He told reporters: “He’s a top player and always has been. You can see that when he gets the ball and when he’s working; he brings another element to our team.”
Bet on football with 1xBetFor all Chelsea’s strong start, it is only the beginning. They will hope to build on that and finish above sixth in the league, compete for top-four football, and give the Europa Conference League a strong push to add to their European glory.
Maresca has proven that he can be the man, and there were certainly a few people who doubted him when he first took the role and said he was a Chelsea manager, but he’s started with four more points than Chelsea had at this stage last season.
It will be interesting to see if the likes of Tosin and Sancho will make the difference when the going gets tough.
