The ex-Chelsea striker was set to move to Arsenal on loan but the move was blocked
Demba Ba still regrets the day that his loan move to Arsenal was blocked when he was at Chelsea.
The striker had the chance to move to the Emirates Stadium on a short-term basis back in 2013 when he played for the Blues. A deal looked like it had been done but boss Jose Mourinho had other plans.
The Gunners ended up signing Mesut Ozil and with the Special One worried about giving them another player who could aid them in their bid for the title, he decided to pull out of a move to let the 30-year old join them.
Ba now plays for Shanghai Shenhua in China and looking back on the move, it is clear it is a regret of his that he didn’t go. He said: “I think back to the day when Jose Mourinho blocked my Chelsea loan at Arsenal.
Ozil arriving hampered the deal
“It was the time of his return to the club, and I think it would have been a very good move. It happened on the last day of the transfer window.
“I was in Paris, at rest, and Arsenal representatives called me to tell me it was going to happen. I then came back to London for the medical. Upon arriving, I was left surprised that Mr Mourinho had blocked my move to Arsenal.
“Mesut Ozil arrived, and to strengthen a competitor like Arsenal was very complicated if it worked.”
Instead, the forward plied his trade for Chelsea for one more season and then departed to join Besiktas. He had a rather good spell at the club – with a decent goals to game ratio – before deciding to up sticks and move to China.
