Failed medical elsewhere helped Chelsea secure signing in “one of the craziest” Deadline Day sagas

Chelsea were reportedly able to sign Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara because of Folarin Balogun’s failed medical with Everton.

In a surprise twist, the Blues are now closing in on a deal to sign Camara, with Ben Jacobs explaining how this bizarre saga unfolded.

With Enzo Fernandez leaving for Manchester City, it seems clear Chelsea needed to have a replacement lined up.

Apparently, however, nothing seemed imminent and the west London giants were prepared to end the window without strengthening in that position.

— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) September 1, 2026

Lamine Camara, one of the craziest sagas of deadline day.??
– Chelsea saw two bids rejected and moved on to other targets
– Chelsea sold Enzo Fernandez for £125m
– Chelsea content to not sign a midfielder
– Monaco continued to block a sale after £40m Flo Balogun sale to Everton… pic.twitter.com/psWgTVHFwV

— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) September 1, 2026

Posting on X, Jacobs explained how it all panned out, saying:

“Lamine Camara, one of the craziest sagas of deadline day.

– Chelsea saw two bids rejected and moved on to other targets

– Chelsea sold Enzo Fernandez for £125m

– Monaco continued to block a sale after £40m Flo Balogun sale to Everton agreed

– Issues with Balogun’s medical prompting Everton to turn to Josh Zirkzee

– Camera (sic) now undergoing his Chelsea medical”

Want more CaughtOffside coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust

Chelsea signing a gem in Lamine Camara

Camara looks like a huge talent with a big future, so Chelsea have done well to get this deal done late on.

It also would surely have been unwise for the Blues to continue for the rest of the season without more strengthen in depth in midfield.

Xabi Alonso is losing an influential player in Fernandez, and CFC probably would have struggled with just Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia, and Valentin Barco as their main options in that position.

Camara looks like he has the quality to go straight into Chelsea’s starting line up and make a real impact.