Athletic: Chelsea beat 8 top Premier League teams to sign dressing room giant | OneFootball

Tosin Adarabioyo arrived on a free transfer at Chelsea early in the summer, without making much of a splash. There was no big fee to talk about, and he was coming from Fulham, not Real Madrid or Juventus.

But there was interest from other teams reported at the time, and the more we hear about it, the more in demand the defender clearly was. Perhaps that shouldn’t be a surprise given his contract situation.

Simon Johnson of the Athletic chose today to look into Tosin’s season so far – using his two goals at the weekend as a jumping off point.

According to Johnson, who is well connected in the Chelsea dressing room and around the club, there were a host of teams interested in picking up the then 26 year old for free after an impressive spell on the other side of West London:

“A source close to Tosin… says Chelsea beat around seven to eight top Premier League and European clubs, including Newcastle United, to his signature.”

Tosin doing just what is asked of him, even without pitch minutes

Tosin Adarabioyo celebrates a goal. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)

Tosin has been a solid backup for this team all year, playing the exact role he was bought to play – an honest and hardworking dressing room leader with a bit of experience to help the young squad grow together.

Even with both Benoit Badiashile and Wesley Fofana out, Tosin has not been in the team. In fact, Enzo Maresca dropped him in our last Premier League game for Josh Acheampong.

But Tosin isn’t just here to play, he’s here to be a contributor in training and in the dressing room, and it looks like doing that job superbly well. Maresca called him the “most vocal” in the dressing room, something he clearly values.