Jonathan Clauss didn’t want to sign for Chelsea just to sign for Chelsea

One of the more surprising names linked with Chelsea this past summer had been Jonathan Clauss, a late-blooming right back who had an entirely unremarkable career in the lower divisions of French and German football before making his top flight debut at age 28 in 2020. Since then, he’s not only become a full-fledged France international, but piqued the interest of several big teams, Chelsea included.

Clauss appears to have confirmed the Blues’ interest — and his rejection of said interest — by opting to ignore the temptation of the brightest lights, choosing a more reasonable career arc for himself, and joining Olympique Marseille instead in July. So far, that move’s paying off, with near-constant involvement and OM sitting pretty in second after eight games.

“I didn’t want to sign for Chelsea to one day say I signed for Chelsea. It was really to try and keep playing, to discover the Champions League. Marseille ticked all the boxes I was looking for.”

-Jonathan Clauss; source: Info Sport via Sport Witness

Chelsea ended up not signing any right backs this summer and instead giving César Azpilicueta new contract. Unfortunately, the Captain seems to have lost a step or two, though should be a capable backup still.