Demba Ba revealed that he was close to leaving Chelsea and moving to Arsenal, but Jose Mourinho blocked the transfer because he was worried about his potential connection with Mesut Ozil.
The Senegalese striker moved to Stamford Bridge in January 2013 after impressing in Newcastle, but just a few months later the West London club was ready to sell him, and West Ham, Arsenal and Magpies wanted him that summer.
Arsene Wenger needed reinforcements in the attack and the Gunners agreed in principle to sign Demba Ba on loan during the last day of the transfer window, only for Mourinho to intervene.
- People from Arsenal called me and I jumped on the train because it is only a few hours from Paris – Ba said during an interview on Fabrizio Romano’s Twitch Stream and continued:
- And then I arrived in London, and I waited all day at home thinking that the job would be finished, but by 7 or 8 pm I realized that nothing would happen – Mourinho came to the locker room the next day and said:
- The combination of Demba Ba and Mesut Ozil would be fantastic! And I’m listening to him and I’m thinking – You just stopped me from making this move and you’re making jokes about it! – the Senegalese concluded.
Ba stayed at Chelsea in the 2013-14 season and scored a famous goal at Anfield after a slip by Steven Gerrard who interrupted Liverpool’s hopes for the title.
