Chelsea are expected to conduct a mini firesale this summer with two players already sold, and many more set to follow. Not many, however, could have named the player who would leave on Sunday.
Marc Cucurella has completed a move to Real Madrid, costing an initial £47.5m and potentially rising to £51.8m. Jimmy-Jay Morgan has completed a £4m move to West Brom, and more are coming soon.
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Trevoh Chalobah is expected to join Inter Milan. An offer believed to be worth £30m is set to arrive in the next 24 or 48 hours, according to reports, while Tyrique George is set to join Everton permanently.
But a Chelsea player did leave the club on Sunday after six years at Stamford Bridge. Sadly, his spell in West London will be largely forgotten about, and some fans may even struggle to remember his name.
Jimi Tauriainen confirms Chelsea exit with contract expiring
It’s February 2024, and Chelsea are attempting to see off the brave challenge of Championship high-flyers Leeds United in the FA Cup. A Mateo Joseph brace pushed Chelsea close, but the Blues secured a 3-2 win.
In the final moments, Mauricio Pochettino threw on youngster Jimi Tauriainen. An attacking midfielder from Finland that Chelsea fans will not have known much about, Pochettino handed him his senior debut.
That injury-time outing would be one of just two senior appearances for Chelsea, the second coming in the latter stages of the 2023-24 season. Pochettino brought him on against his former side, Tottenham.
Not long after breaking into Chelsea’s first team, though, Tauriainen suffered an ACL injury, and now, the playmaker has confirmed his Chelsea exit. He posted a touching message on his Instagram story.
“Thank you, Chelsea, for an amazing six years. I’ll always be grateful for the memories, the experiences and everyone who was part of the journey. Wishing the club all the best for the future,” he said.
Jimi Tauriainen has already found himself a new club
While he has been miles away from making a third appearance for Chelsea, the 22-year-old has still been handed the odd opportunity in the second string. He scored in a 5-0 PL2 win over Blackburn in February.
That, and impressing for Finland’s U21 side. Tauriainen also netted a stunner of a free-kick in the March international break, and Danish side Horsens have been keeping tabs on the Chelsea outcast recently.
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Horsens have snapped him up, a move that sees Tauriainen join a side currently captained by former Chelsea goalkeeper Matej Delac. A player who failed to make a single Chelsea appearance in eight years.
It sees Tauriainen leave Chelsea for a side set to compete in the Danish Superliga alongside Midtjylland and Copenhagen next season. Horsens won promotion last season, finishing second in the second tier.
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