37-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo was really desperate to leave Man Utd over the summer but saw a move to Chelsea implode, although he may yet be handed a fresh lifeline in his bid to join the Blues.
Chelsea were sorely lacking a cutting edge as they ended up with a 1-1 draw against RB Salzburg in the Champions League on Wednesday, leaving new gaffer Graham Potter with much to ponder following his first game in charge of the Blues.
With their last minute latest summer signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang failing to impress consecutively despite providing the assist for Raheem Sterling’s goal, the Blues’ worrying performance may have just handed the Man United wantaway star another lifeline in his desperate quest to escape Old Trafford.
Former Blues gaffer Thomas Tuchel’s exit effectively removed one obstacle that had earlier been in the way of Ronaldo’s chances of joining the Blues in January, and now those hopes may have increased even further after former Brighton manager Potter was told he is in need of an urgent fix to counter Aubameyang’s scrappy performances.
When discussing players who were lacking confidence in the draw with Salzburg on Wednesday, former England striker Peter Crouch told BT Sport : “Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as well the last few games. I think there’s a few players suffering with a little bit of a lack of confidence so that’s something he [Potter] really needs to address.”
Although known to be a prolific goalscorer at this level, Aubameyang’s failure to rediscover his form between now and January could then see the Blues needing to execute an emergency plan to sign Ronaldo from Man United if they are in need of a fresh option in attack.
The chances of this happening are now certainly more in CR7’s favor given that former boss Tuchel is now no longer an issue as the German had kicked up a royal fuss over the signing of Ronaldo during the summer.
American owner Todd Boehly had been really keen to sign Ronaldo that he actually convened a meeting with the Portuguese’s agent Jorge Mendes in July, though a move failed to materialise due to Tuchel’s intervention.
Tuchel’s rejecting Ronaldo and opting to sign Aubameyang instead as his new striker incurred Boehly’s wrath, as reported by German outlet BILD. But with Tuchel now out of the way, Boehly can rekindle the deal for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner in the new year.
While he may be may be in the twilight of his career, there is no doubting the quality of Ronaldo’s goalscoring as the numbers speak for themselves. He made it very clear over the summer that he wishes to leave the Red Devils after admitting his desire to compete in the Champions League and challenge for silverware, and his massively scaled-down role from the bench is unlikely to change unless Erik ten Hag is forced into rotation due to injuries.
It’s already looking quite obvious the Dutchman has already built a team that can compete without Ronaldo in their side, making it highly likely that the forward will jump at any chance to move in January should an opportunity present itself – as Boehly watches on with hawk-eyed interest.