Yakubu & Drogba: The deadly African power trip that could have been?

Former Nigeria forward, Yakubu Aiyegbeni has lifted the lid on a major transfer move that never materialised, revealing that he was on the brink of joining Chelsea in 2008 before an untimely injury wrecked the deal. 

Despite being one of the most feared African strikers in Premier League history, the former Everton powerhouse now says his career might have taken a different turn. On the Home Turf Podcast, he recalled that Chelsea were working on a deal for him when he suffered the achilles injury that changed everything.

"I got a chance to sign for Chelsea…and then I got injured. I ruptured my achilles and I didn't play for 11 months. I was crying in the dressing room."

– Yakubu Ayegbeni. pic.twitter.com/3vskns67M9

— SportsDokitor (Odogwu👆) (@sportsdokitor) November 21, 2025

“I was unlucky not to play for Chelsea. I got a chance to sign for Chelsea, and then I got injured,” he said. “I ruptured my achilles and I didn’t play for 11 months. That was the day they were negotiating a fee for me, about £15 million, so I didn’t play, and that was gone.

“I was crying in the dressing room because it was my time to play for one of the bigger clubs. But so far so good, I went to Leicester in the Championship, scored goals, then I went to Blackburn Rovers and came back to the Premier League. I think I did everything.”

Fact check: How accurate is Yakubu’s Chelsea claim?

Yakubu’s timeline suggests that Chelsea’s interest emerged just before the January 2009 window. That matches the date of his injury — November 30, 2008, away at Wigan. At that point in the season, he had four goals from 14 league games. Not outstanding, but enough to keep him on the radar of top clubs, especially given his proven Premier League pedigree.

However, his claim of being sidelined for 11 months does not fully align with available records. He made his first appearance after the injury for Everton’s reserves on August 25, 2009, roughly nine months later, not eleven.

It is also worth noting that Chelsea were not dealing with a striker crisis at the time. In late November 2008, both Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka were fit and available. That does not rule out interest, but it adds important context to the timing of the alleged move.

His career remains one of the most productive by any Nigerian in Europe. Yakubu built his reputation across England and Israel, but it was in the Premier League that he truly stamped his authority.

He still holds the record as Nigeria’s top scorer in the competition with 95 goals, a tally he compiled during spells at Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, Everton and Blackburn Rovers, none of them clubs considered among the league’s traditional heavyweights.