Liam Delap and Noni Madueke respond to Tosin Adarabioyo’s defiant Chelsea message
Tosin Adarabioyo sent a rallying cry to Chelsea’s players after they beat Fluminense to reach the Club World Cup final.
Chelsea are on the cusp of winning back-to-back trophies to end Enzo Maresca‘s first season in charge, and could be just 90 minutes away from adding the Club World Cup to their Conference League title.
FIFA’s revamped tournament hasn’t been entirely plain sailing for the Blues, who snuck past Palmeiras in the quarter-finals after a group stage loss to Flamengo, and faced another Brazilian side in the last four.
Fluminense were the last remaining non-European side in the tournament and saw Chelsea come up against their former defender Thiago Silva, but it would be another Brazilian who took all the plaudits.
Adarabioyo ‘proud’ after Joao Pedro’s impact at Chelsea
Joao Pedro’s first start for Chelsea since his £60million transfer from Brighton couldn’t have been better timed, as he scored both their goals in a 2-0 victory against the side where the striker began his career.
The 23-year-old’s two strikes in the opening periods of both halves proved too much for Fluminense to handle, as Pedro curled their opener into the bottom corner before smashing in his second off the bar.
Thiago Silva may have been unable to keep his former employers at bay, but that’s exactly what Trevoh Chalobah and Adarabioyo did at the other end and the latter send a message on Instagram at full-time.
In a post (8 July) liked by exit-linked winger Noni Madueke and another new arrival in Liam Delap, Adarabioyo said: “Proud of my team. One more to go.”
Chelsea transfer churn to continue after Club World Cup final
Football Insider Verdict
Although the bulk of Chelsea’s first-team squad are currently on the other side of the Atlantic, the Blues have still been busy completing transfers which have made an immediate impact at the Club World Cup.
Pedro is the best example of this after Chelsea beat Newcastle to his signature, and just six days later the Brazilian striker has already teed up Maresca’s side for success against either PSG or Real Madrid.
Jamie Gittens has also arrived from Borussia Dortmund, and as Chelsea bring in a growing level of prize money from their Club World Cup progress, who knows which transfer target they’ll turn attention to next.