Former teammate wishes Golovin good luck at Chelsea amid fresh Monaco rumors

Aleksandr Golovin looks set to discover his mystery European destination for the next season in the next few days. Well, presumably, he already knows where he will end up. But we don’t. Nobody seems to, in fact, with conflicting reports over the past week or so placing him either at Chelsea or at Monaco.

The latter seems to have gotten new backing from today’s L’Equipe, who are claiming that a deal worth €30m has seen Monaco beat Chelsea to the proverbial punch. Golovin is apparently ready to join director of football Michael Emenalo’s new team over his old team “imminently”.

Unfortunately for Monaco, that word has lost much of its meaning thanks to the Sarri saga. Back in my day, imminently used to mean imminently. Now it just means ... maybe?

In fact, here’s a rather interesting Instagram post from a certain Sergei Chepchugov, who was a long-time backup to goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev at CSKA Moscow and was thus Golovin’s teammate from 2014 to 2017, when he left to join FC Yenisey Krasnoyarsk.

Upon first meeting Golovin, Chepchugov apparently predicted great things to come for the youngster. Now, Chepchugov may or may not have any actual inside information — perhaps he just heard that Golovin’s going to Chelsea and got all excited to tell everyone about his correct prediction — but he’s perhaps worth listening to at least as much as L’Equipe.

When you @alex_golovin17 came to the main team, #CSKA!, I immediately told you, [that if] you will also train ☝️Two years later you will get to the European team. Today, a lot of advice, and attention! I wish you to feel love [at] #Chelsi Have fun, great career !!!

(via Google Translate)

(Golovin apparently liked the post, too, for whatever little extra that’s worth.)

Golovin to Chelsi? Let’s go.