Chelsea made one player’s ‘dream’ come true before dumping him at Premier League rivals

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Chelsea are one of the biggest football clubs in the world, and they proved that in the Club World Cup final last Sunday.

Enzo Maresca‘s men beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 to claim the Club World Cup trophy. It follows their success in last season’s Conference League.

It is hard to turn down Chelsea, just ask Joao Pedro, who recently joined the Blues from Brighton & Hove Albion. Pedro had interest from Newcastle United but decided to move to west London, a decision he will not regret after the PSG game.

The Brazil international is not the only footballer who was unable to resist Chelsea’s advances, though.

• READ MORE: Chelsea fans have a lot to say as club confirms Djordje Petrovic has been sold to Bournemouth, ‘to be honest…’

Chelsea move was a dream for Djordje Petrovic

Djordje Petrovic is no longer at Chelsea, but when he moved to the club from New England Revolution in 2023, he described it as a “dream”.

Upon his arrival in west London, the goalkeeper told Chelsea’s official website: “I’m so happy to be at Chelsea and I’m really excited to get started at this club. It’s a big step for me and it’s always been a dream of mine to sign for one of the biggest clubs in the world. Today I have achieved that goal and I’m so happy.

“Playing in the Premier League is something I’m really looking forward to doing and I hope to learn many things here at Chelsea. I can’t wait to meet everyone and play at Stamford Bridge.”

Petrovic’s move to Chelsea’s Premier League rivals Bournemouth was confirmed on Wednesday, with the 25-year-old joining in a £25m deal.

It was claimed that the Club World Cup winners decided to approve a sale this summer after Petrovic demanded a starting spot in Maresca’s team.

With Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen still at Stamford Bridge, that was a request that Maresca could obviously not grant.

How Djordje Petrovic feels about Bournemouth switch

Petrovic would have wanted to play more games at Chelsea. In total, he made 31 appearances for the club, spending last season on loan at Strasbourg.

The Serbian is pleased with his move to Bournemouth, though, and believes that he can “grow” at the Vitality Stadium.

When Petrovic spoke about his switch to Bournemouth, he said: “I’m really happy to be here. I came to Bournemouth because I want to grow and I want to play at the best level. Together with this club, with these facilities, I think we can achieve it. I want to help the team get the results, improve every day and be a better player.”

As for Chelsea, Sanchez is likely to remain as their first-choice goalkeeper after his performance at the Club World Cup. Had he not performed so well and Petrovic travelled to the US, the Serbia international may have got a chance between the sticks under Maresca.