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Benni McCarthy has reflected on the circumstances that caused his potential move to Chelsea to fall through.
Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy has partly held his agent, Rob Moore, responsible after his move to Chelsea fell apart.
When Jose Mourinho moved to Chelsea in 2004, he wanted Benni McCarthy to join him at the club, but it proved difficult even after a series of attempts.
Benni McCarthy and Jose Mourinho had formed a great relationship during the Portuguese’s time at Porto, and he believed that having the South African move to Stamford Bridge with him would be a life-changing moment for both of them.
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Why did the deal to Chelsea flop?
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Benni McCarthy revealed that Porto had a problem with his desire to join Jose Mourinho at Chelsea due to the way he had departed the club.
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'I Don't Know What He's Become' – Harambee Stars Coach Benni McCarthy Breaks Silence on Jose Mourinho
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The former Manchester United attacking coach revealed that everything was on course, since Jose Mourinho had already made the offer.
However, he believes his agent at the time did not apply the much-needed pressure and having Jose Mourinho do the work would mean he had betrayed him.
Benni McCarthy further pointed out that there was a club in Moscow that had given a lucrative deal to Porto for him and three other players.
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However, despite the mouth-watering amount he had been promised, he revealed that he declined the deal, and, in turn, Porto blocked his opportunity to move to Chelsea.
“The deal broke down like right at the end, and I kind of blame my agent, Rob would probably kill me, but I don’t think he pushed as much as he should have pushed,” Benni McCarthy said in an interview with Smash Sports.
“I'm not one for jumping ships because I got a call from George Mendes, and he said, ‘Listen, you know your father (Jose Mourinho) wants you here,’ and I was like, he knew I wanted to go and play for him.
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“I knew if I allowed him to get involved and do the deal and push, he would keep Blackburn on their toes, but I would have betrayed Rob. So, I couldn’t do that.”
Why Benni McCarthy was not that disappointed
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The former Celta Vigo striker revealed that he loved Porto and would rather have stayed there rather than going to a club he knew very little about.
Benni McCarthy added that he wanted a place where he could grow, and at that time, Chelsea seemed like the perfect place.
“I wanted to go to Chelsea because Jose wanted me there, but they refused and then there was no deal for me. I was stuck at Porto, and I knew I would achieve a lot under Mourinho, but I didn’t fight enough,” he revealed.
Benni McCarthy would later join Blackburn Rovers in 2006, and he revealed that it was one of the best decisions since he was happily welcomed and he felt like it was a family. That is how his dream to go to Chelsea ended, but at least he was satisfied.
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