Former Chelsea striker Alexandre Pato has claimed to The Players’ Tribune that he regrets joining the Blues back in 2016.
He was introduced to a struggling squad midway through the 15/16 season, where the club languished in mid-table despite winning the league both the season before and after.
Many of Chelsea’s big stars such as Diego Costa, Oscar and particularly Eden Hazard were way off the pace during this campaign.
This saw a string of desperate looking additions in the middle of the season, with Michael Hector and Matt Miazga also joining the club.
Pato though made just two appearances in his six months with the club, scoring on his debut against Aston Villa.
However, he has now claimed his time at Stamford Bridge left him regretting the move.
Pato regrets Chelsea move
He said: “You know why I played so much better at São Paulo? They looked after me properly. There I just had to play. But when Chelsea called me, I was still dreaming of Europe. Unfortunately, I paid the price again for being overprotected.
“I still didn’t get it. I thought that Chelsea would loan me for six months and then I’d sign for three years. I didn’t realise that they could say no after the loan. Had I known? I would have gone elsewhere. It was a pity, because I was training really well, and the coach only played me twice. I never understood why.”
Pato’s career was hitting some serious heights before his time in London, most notably at AC Milan in Italy.
However, his best football after that nightmare spell was played in China, where he notched up 15 goal seasons in consecutive seasons.
He is still featuring in the MLS, although has hardly shown signs of returning to his prolific best in the twilight of his career.
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