The £12.7m ace showing Enzo Maresca and Chelsea just what they missed out on after transfer twist

All the talk in the final few days of the transfer window at Chelsea was about whether Enzo Maresca would add another striker to his squad. Lacking that proven goalscorer the previous campaign, the Blues were tipped to sign a new frontman to compete with Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku for a spot in the team.

It did appear that they were going to bolster their options in that area of the pitch earlier in the month as Conor Gallagher headed for the exit door. With the midfielder closing in on a move to Atletico Madrid, striker Samu Omorodion was to head in the opposite direction for £34.5million until his transfer to Chelsea collapsed due to a reported problem in finalising his contract.

That in turn left Gallagher's move to the Spanish capital in limbo even though he had already passed a medical, agreed on a long-term contract and was pictured at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium by the club. There was to be a resolution to the deal, however, as the England international got his move to Atleti as Joao Felix returned to Chelsea on a permanent basis following his loan spell in SW6 back in 2023.

For Omorodion, he was also to get a transfer of his own a few days later as he swapped Atletico Madrid for Porto in a deal worth only €15million (£12.7million), with the Spanish side also having a 50% sell-on clause as part of the agreement. At a time when he could be making his mark for Chelsea had his transfer not collapsed, the Melilla-born player is now banging in the goals for the Portuguese side.

The 20-year-old currently has five goals to his name from five appearances for Porto. Manchester United are up next in the Europa League on Thursday evening and you wouldn't bet against Omorodion adding to his tally for the season in the encounter at the Estadio do Dragao.

The striker's first goal in a Porto shirt was a 75th-minute winner in their 2-1 victory over SC Frense. Omorodion had only entered the fray 11 minutes prior to his strike, which was a typical poacher's finish as he scored from six-yards out after the ball had fallen kindly to him.

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Handed a start in their following game away at Vitoria Guimaraes, Omorodion netted a double in the space of 11 second-half minutes to give his side a healthy lead. Using his height to power home a header in the 47th minute, he then finished off a quick move with a lovely finish into the bottom corner.

Clearly oozing in confidence and now starting games for Porto, the forward added further strikes against Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League and at home to Arouca in the league to take his tally to five goals in five games. Having seen his move to Chelsea not come to fruition, Omorodion is now showcasing the eye-catching form that highlights why the Blues wanted to lure him to Stamford Bridge in the first place.

A Premier League move may indeed come about in the not too distant future if the goals continue to flow for the striker at Porto. Omorodion could possibly be the one that got away for Chelsea as they plan for the future in west London.