14 August 2023 , 20:26
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After Chelsea changed their mind on signing United States national team standout Tyler Adams from Leeds United, AFC Bournemouth has trigged the player's release clause. The release clause was set at £20 million.
Adams, the United States men's national team captain, travelled to London last Friday for a medical at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea initially agreed to pay the release clause, only to pull out of the deal at the last minute to land their first choices in Moises Caicedo and Romero Lavia.
Chelsea reportedly wanted to sign two out of their four scouted prospects in the midfield. When the Chelsea move collapsed, Premier League clubs were alerted to the opportunity to sign the 24-year-old. Bournemouth are the club who has now decided to act.
The injury history of Adams was a factor in Chelsea's reluctance to sign the midfielder. Adams was not featured in the starting lineup for Leeds last season for the final two-month stretch of their Premier League campaign after undergoing hamstring surgery in March.
"Adams is still a young player who is still developing," said former USMNT member Eric Wynalda in a recent interview. "He has not played at the highest level consistently yet, and he would need time to adjust to the demands of playing for a club like Chelsea."
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"He would also need to improve his creativity and goalscoring threat if he wants to be a regular starter. Overall, I think Tyler Adams has the potential to be a good player, but he is not there yet. He needs time to develop and improve his game before he can be a regular starter for the club."
Adams and his team insist that he will be fit and ready to play around the international break by September. It is yet to be determined if Adams is interested in signing with Bournemouth, as the player would still have to agree to personal terms with the club.
Tyler Adams and Archie Gray of Leeds United during the Sky Bet ChampionshipAdams has been linked to many teams showing interest in his services, including Brighton, Aston Villa, and Manchester United. It is believed that Adams wishes to remain in the Premier League after spending the first seven seasons of his professional career in America and the Bundesliga.
Sources close to Leeds have stated that they reluctantly accepted the clause, as reported by Sky Sports. The Athletic has reported that Adams returned to Leeds after partially completing his Chelsea medical.
Leeds was relegated from the Premier League last season after finishing 19 out of 20 teams in the table. They managed to tally 31 points for the season, with only Southampton's effort of 25 points being worse.
In his one season with Leeds, Adams has played and started in 24 games, logging 2,156 minutes. He could not provide any goals or assists but is understood not to want to play in the Championship, despite the club's desire to build the team around him.