‘I had a secret trial at Chelsea but rejected transfer because it was too easy’ | Football | Sport

Manchester City sensation Rayan Cherki once underwent a secret trial at Chelsea and subsequently turned down a switch to Stamford Bridge because he deemed it ‘too easy’. Charlton forward Miles Leaburn has revealed details of the time when Cherki was training with Chelsea as a youngster.

The Frenchman, who was at Lyon at the time, turned up in west London without his club even ‘knowing about it’, according to The Sun. Leaburn has recalled how Cherki was much better than everybody else, suggesting he turned down a move because he was just so good.

“He came over from France and was rainbow flicking guys in training,” said Leaburn.

“I was thinking; ‘Oh my God, this is incredible’. He honestly rejected playing for Chelsea because he probably found it too easy! He was miles better than anyone else, absolute quality.

“That was one of the standout moments of the eight years or so I spent at Chelsea.”

Ultimately, Cherki remained at Lyon, racking up 146 appearances for the Ligue 1 outfit before securing his £32million transfer to City last summer.

This season, he has featured 22 times for Pep Guardiola‘s squad across all competitions and has also collected four caps for France.

Leaburn, meanwhile, was let go by Chelsea at 16 and has remained at Charlton ever since. He secured promotion from League One last season and has established himself as a regular in the Championship.

“I joined Chelsea when I was seven after they scouted me at a development centre in Kidbrooke,” he revealed.

“I was playing for Cray Wanderers at the time. I started going to their training ground at Cobham from that age, but it’s not until you’re nine that you sign a contract, committing to only one club.

“So at that time Chelsea, in a bid to woo you into signing for them, introduced us to some of first-team players. I remember meeting John Terry, Fernando Torres, Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard.

“It was such a cool thing for a young kid to meet top players like that. They were superstars and, over the years, you’d also see them when you walked past the first-team building en route to the academy.

“I remember seeing Oscar, Diego Costa, Eden Hazard, those sort of players.

“I was starstruck, but it’s at those moments you understand the magnitude of what potentially can come in your own career. It was a great time and I learned a lot that has made me who I am today.”