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Chelsea saw off competition from Manchester United to sign talented Norwegian-Nigerian teenager Bryan Fiabema in January this year, as revealed by the player's father Mina. Italian side SPAL were also reportedly in the hunt for the young striker who eventually chose to move to the Premier League side.
Bryan Fiabema attracted attention from a lot of clubs in Europe, including Manchester United and Chelsea.
It was previously reported that the Red Devils were leading the race for his signature; however, the Blues arrived at the scene in the eleventh hour and stole a march on their rivals.
Mina Fiabema has now revealed the exact sequence of events how Chelsea managed to give Manchester United the slip and land their target.
Chelsea’s swift approach helped them beat Manchester United
Mina Fiabema revealed that Chelsea were swifter than Manchester United in their approach for the player, which tilted the tide in the Blues' favour.
"Chelsea for him was a dream come true; Manchester United were also looking at him. Chelsea were faster than Manchester United. Youth players are hardly signed during the winter transfer window. So we were not expecting him to join Chelsea, but the invitation came in December, and he was signed in January," said the senior Fiabema.
The player’s father said that while Manchester United opted to wait till the summer, Chelsea managed to secure Brian Fiabema's services in January itself. Mina Fiabema said in this regard:
"After the scouting, Manchester United too were considering him because they had someone from Tromso playing in the same team with him; his name is Isak Hansen-Aaroen. So they said they'll come back for him, and we were waiting for summer, but Chelsea came in, and in a period of two weeks, the deal was sealed, and we had to wait for the transfer window to open in January."
Italian side SPAL were also interested in the player, but Mina Fiabema revealed that his son's parent club was reluctant to let him leave. However, a year later, the Blues came calling, and Brian Fiabema managed to impress them. The father said in this regard:
"We were actually waiting for summer 2020 when the call from his agent came in that Chelsea want to have him for ten days screening. So I said why not, and he was happy to go. Five days into the screening period, word came out that they were happy with him, and they will sign him."
Fiabema is already earning rave reviews for the youth side and looks set for a promising future ahead at the club.
